The importance of HEPA Filtration

January 22, 2019 | Technically Speaking

What Is HEPA Filtration? HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filtration is a standard used by a variety of different high-quality air filtration systems. Let’s take a look at the basics of HEPA now. How Does HEPA Filtration Work? True HEPA filters use a special type of mat that is built out of randomly-arranged fibers, usually made of fiberglass. Each individual fiber is extremely small, between 0.5 and 2.0 micrometers in width. As contaminants and pollutants are pushed through this filter, they are trapped between these fibers, and are unable to pass through. HEPA Filtration Standards HEPA standards specify that any given air filter must remove 99.97% of all particles that pass through it, having a size greater than or equal to 0.3 µm. In effect, this removes just about any common airborne particles, including mold, ash, mold spores, and pollen. What Are HEPA Filters Used For? ● Preventing the spread … Continued

When you can’t sweep a chimney

January 22, 2019 | A Day in the Life

I occasionally come across situations where a chimney should not be swept. Sometimes the deterioration is so bad that sweeping a chimney could actually cause a collapse of the system and only make matters much worse. Here are some good examples: A chimney is no longer safe, the customer is aware, but wants to use the system anyway – I will not sweep that system because first, I want the customer to realize the severity of the situation and that they are putting their life in danger. Two is liability. Let’s say, heaven forbid, a chimney fire occurs after I swept the system. Who becomes liable? You guessed it.. A chimney is no longer safe and the customer was unaware – While it is not a fun conversation, safety is my number one priority. This is when we go over options and hazards associated with the chimneys current condition. A … Continued

Advantages of Zinc coating

January 22, 2019 | Technically Speaking

Advantages of Zinc Coating For Chimneys If you are replacing exterior components of your chimney system (especially in close proximity to the ocean) one of the best materials to use is zinc-coated steel. Using a zinc coated product for chimneys has several great advantages: Protection from rust and corrosion – Unprotected steel can corrode easily, particularly when exposed to temperature fluctuations and moisture. Untreated steel may become damaged and unserviceable within just 2 years. With a zinc coating, however, a protective barrier is made between the atmosphere and the steel material. This layer helps protect the structural properties of the steel base material, and ensure that it remains protected from corrosion and rust. Longer lifespan – Zinc-plated steel can easily last 30 years or longer without any major deterioration or significant corrosion, and remain functional for many more years. This longer lifespan makes zinc coatings a great investment, which … Continued

Chimney Swifts

January 21, 2019 | Training and tips

Chimney Swifts – Understanding The Basics If you are looking for a chimney sweep in Jacksonville to help you with chimney swifts or you would just like more information about these curious little birds, you are in the right place. Let us start with the basics. What Are Chimney Swifts? Chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica) are a medium-sized type of swift, which feed primarily on flying insects, and on spiders. Uniquely, they build their nests almost exclusively on human-built structures – particularly chimneys – hence the name. They are found throughout the entire Eastern United States and are rarely seen west of the Rocky Mountains. Why Do Chimney Swifts Nest In Chimneys? Before European colonists arrived in North America, chimney swifts rarely nested in human-built structures. The birds preferred to nest in hollowed-out trees. When possible, chimney swifts will still build their nests in trees but land development has limited the … Continued

Inspection of the day – Stay away from the skylight!

January 21, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Sometimes having a chimney with deferred maintenance can cause some unexpected safety hazards. Realistically, the typical homeowner does not spend very much time, if any, on their roof looking for potential problems. Let take a look at the chimney below: Initial look.. The chimney is missing a flame arrestor, has some staining, and is in close proximity to a very large set of skylights. Now let’s take a closer look: This is not good! Large sections of stone are coming off of the chimney and falling onto the roof! The chimney is so close to the skylights that a stone could potentially fall through and cause severe harm to anyone inside. Another thing to factor in, the stones are damaging the roof below and could potentially cause water leaks. A combination of water intrusion and deferred maintenance caused this nightmare but it is something that could have easily been taken … Continued

Dampers for masonry fireplaces

January 21, 2019 | Training and tips

Older masonry fireplaces may or may not have been installed with a damper to prevent conditioned air from leaving the home. If your fireplace is one that does not have a damper, several options exist. Below are a few of the options starting with the least expensive. Flue balloon Flue balloons are sold online and come in a variety of sizes to fit the opening (smoke chamber) just above your fireplace. They are a simple design, you inflate them in place inside of the fireplace and deflate and remove the flue balloon when you would like to use the system. This is the least expensive option and it works rather well considering the cost. Be sure to remove the flue balloon before use, it will make a horrible smelly mess if caught on fire. Top mounted damper I will be the first to admit that this is not my favorite … Continued

The top-down burn

January 21, 2019 | Training and tips

My favorite way to start a fire indoors and out is a method called the top-down burn. The interesting thing about this method of starting a fire is that it is the exact opposite of what most people do! To start, put the very largest pieces of wood front to back on the very bottom. The next layer up, use slightly smaller pieces of wood but stack them side to side on top of the largest bottom wood. Continue this process until the firewood has reached fifty percent of the height of the fireplace, and make sure each layer is progressively smaller and switching one layer front to back, one layer side to side. Once you are at the top, this is where you will only have very small wood pieces (as small as shavings) that can be very easily started with little or no effort. The fire will start … Continued

When is the best time to have your chimney swept?

January 21, 2019 | Common Questions

The Traditional Season The most popular time of the year in Florida to have a chimney sweep is in the Fall and before the holidays. As the holidays get closer, the demand increases even more to the point where it is tough to find any sweep available before January. This can be an issue because the best sweeps typically book up early in the Fall and by the time you go down the line you might end up with someone who is less than qualified to perform the service and does not have the proper tools, insurance, or certifications. The Best Time to Sweep – Spring Spring is actually the best time to have your chimney swept for a number of reasons. One reason is you can save money not having the sweep performed during the peak season. Take the HVAC industry in the Summer for example. If you are … Continued

Inspection of the day – gas fireplace troubles

January 20, 2019 | A Day in the Life

With the addition of my home inspection background, I have seen a few occasions where after closing the sellers take what they can out of a house and even swap out the appliances! During my chimney inspection today, the same situation occurred and the sellers even took the decorative logs from the fireplace 😢. My best recommendation on that end would be to hire a home inspector that is very thorough and also uses a program called recall check where the serial numbers are stored for the appliances in case of a future recall. It can help not only in the event of a recall, but also if someone tries to take and swap out appliances. Onto the inspection. Issue one: The home was in the process of being set up for liquid propane but the fireplace had not been converted from natural gas for use with propane. If the … Continued

Carbon Monoxide

January 13, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Let’s talk about a very serious topic, Carbon Monoxide (CO). Carbon Monoxide is a odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that can be deadly to humans and animals. Carbon Monoxide is a natural byproduct of combustion and one of the purposes of why things such as fireplaces, gas dryers, and furnaces have venting systems to get deadly gases out of the home. According to the CDC, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional Carbon Monoxide poisoning, 20,000 visit the emergency room, and over 4,000 are hospitalized. This a a staggering number that could be drastically reduced with the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors in the home. Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning – Dizziness – Feeling weak – Headache – Upset stomach – Vomiting – Confusion – Chest pains Symptoms are often described as “flu-like” and sleeping or drunk individual are more likely to die from Carbon Monoxide poisoning … Continued

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