Blog

It’s that time of year again..  you open the door to the wood stove and smoke rolls into the room.  It doesn’t usually do this, but it’s gotten worse over the past few weeks. Smoking issues in a wood stove can be caused by a myriad of reasons – clogs, warmer outside temperatures, wetter wood […] Read more

Ok, it’s the middle of summer so this may not be on your mind now, but it’s useful information anyway. Let’s say you hear a strange roaring or chugging sound from your chimney, maybe you can even hear some crackling or popping.  Smoke may fill the house – you are having a chimney fire.  What […] Read more

The furnace flue is the often forgotten part of your chimney and many consumers are surprised when serious problems are found within it.  Years of service can take their toll on the flue especially when you consider the extreme conditions the flue typically endures.  Here is a brief overview of what your furnace flue must […] Read more

To kick off the addition of Regency to our line of stoves, and their Greenfire pellet stove, I will take you folks through my procedure to clear a jammed pellet stove auger and hopefully you can save yourselves a service call. Pellet stoves require regular maintenance.  Part of this maintenance I recommend to my customers […] Read more

Because they are so useful for a wood burner, and because I enjoy them so, I wanted to make this entry on an intro to the chainsaw – or a beginner’s guide to the saw.  While I only have average experience using a chainsaw for someone who processes their own firewood, I do have several […] Read more

Some households are plagued by a persistently smelly fireplace. The heavy odor of smoke and creosote hangs in the air on hot, humid days and can really drive some people crazy. Here we will look into common causes of this and what you can do to help the situation. Fireplace odor usually occurs due to […] Read more

A very sad reality the chimney industry deals with is the existence of bait-and-switch con artists who are trying to rip you off. They usually show up or call quoting a $40 sweep and end up quoting thousands of dollars after they “find” problems with the customer’s chimney. When they “reline” the chimney to fix […] Read more

  Water infiltration is a big deal for masonry chimneys. Water can enter masonry and erode mortar joints, decay brickwork, and when it freezes it can split crowns and brickwork apart. Water can also enter through chimneys and flashing and rot and decay the wood structure of your home. Keeping water outside where it belongs […] Read more

  As much as I would like to promote a new service we offer, I would also like to shed some light on when and why proper video scanning should be performed for those interested. Video scanning involves using a camera unit and usually some sort of digital imaging technology to examine the interior of […] Read more

Well, the snow is melting and it looks like New Hampshire might be emerging from the icy grip of winter. Though the temperature outside is warming, many people are not yet finished with their wood heat. These warmer temperatures we experience during the fall and spring (the shoulder season) can present some challenges to we […] Read more