Chimney Services FAQ
A leaking chimney can be one of the most frustrating and difficult to solve chimney problems. Over the course of Chimney Plus’ decades in the industry, we have found a number of products and techniques that have enabled us to tackle even the most persistent leaks. From chimney caps & chase covers to waterproofing & crown repair, Chimneys Plus has the products and expertise to provide guaranteed solutions for your chimney leaks. Call or email us today and schedule a comprehensive leak consultation.
An uncapped chimney is essentially a hole into your home. It can be an open invitation to “come in and make yourself comfortable” for a wide variety of animals. It allows rain and weather into your chimney and has a potential for sparks and embers to escape from your chimney. A chimney cap fits over the top of your chimney and prevents water, tree debris and small animals from getting into your chimney. They also add to the beauty of your home. In this area of the country they are almost a must-have!
Probably the best reason to install a chimney cap is to keep animals and birds from making their home inside your chimney. North Carolina lies in the flight path of Chimney Swifts on their way up from South America. These migrating birds especially like masonry chimneys to build their nests and raise their broods. The delight of being so close to wildlife often ends quickly with the loud raucous from the hungry little ones, or the smell of bird droppings or even worse, the smell of little ones that have fallen out of the nests and have died. Properly sized and secured chimney caps provide a healthy distance between you and cute wildlife. And if it is not a chimney swift you might end up with a squirrel or a raccoon.
A chimney cap definitely fits under the ounce of prevention category. Give Chimneys Plus a call and we can talk about options for replacing a damaged cap or fitting a new one for your home.
Quality, well seasoned firewood will help your wood stove or fireplace burn efficiently. Green or wet wood can cause smoking and odor problems and increased creosote buildup which can lead to dangerous chimney fires. Hardwoods make the best firewood but equally important is a covered and well ventilated area to store your wood prior to use.
Some local sources for firewood that deliver and sell wood year round are:
Triangle Wood : 919.662.1016
Jerry Crawford: 919.929.6869
Firewood Unlimited: 336.213.9663
Keith Green: 919.842.7808 (weekends)
Piedmont Feed & Grain: 919.942.7848
Robert Eubanks: 919.967.9988
When spring approaches, we have more customers call about the stinky chimney syndrome. Usually the customer makes a request to have their chimney cleaned because they are assuming that a chimney cleaning will take care of the odor. Moisture in the air often releases the odors. Temperature and air pressure changes will cause more air exchange between the chimney and the house. The result is stinky chimney air in the home. In some cases people’s allergies are aggravated; some people get headaches, even nausea. Most of the time, it is just an unpleasant and somewhat embarrassing stench.
What is the best way to prevent the chimney odor from coming in the house?
First, make sure that your damper is closed. Then make sure you have your favorite neighborhood chimney sweep come by on a regular basis to keep the chimney clean. If the smell persists sometimes chimney deodorants are used to mask the nasty soot smell. We don’t know these to be a great fix. Ionic air purifiers have been used somewhat successfully to kill the odor.
The real key to controlling the odor is to prevent the air exchange between the house and the chimney. Sealing the chimney can be tricky and maybe a bit messy especially if you want to access the chimney for ongoing use. A chimney balloon is advertised. Foam can be jammed up the chimney. Top mount dampers are used to successfully stop air from the outside the house from exchanging with air inside the house. But top mount dampers don’t typically keep the air from the chimney exchanging with the house so odors from inside the chimney can still enter the home.
We have found the only guarantee to keep nasty chimney odors from coming into your house is with the use of what is called a damper seal kit. This kit works with a cast iron throat damper. A special high temperature gasket is installed to create a seal between the damper door and the damper frame. If you don’t have a cast iron damper then you can have one installed to fit your fireplace.
Bottom Line: Chimney Odors can be resolved. Pick the method that best works for you.
Chimney Cleaning FAQ
We are often asked what the cleaning and inspection process involves and what items are inspected for different types of hearths and appliances.
Our Chimney Sweeps look for:
- Proper hearth size and clearances to nearby combustibles
- Cracked or loosed brick in the fireplace
- Gaps, cracks and voids in the smoke chamber
- Cracked flue tiles, or gaps in the mortar joints between the flue tiles
- Exterior masonry deterioration including loose brick and mortar, and spalling brick
- Cracked or deteriorated chimney crown that is allowing water to soak into the masonry
- Missing chimney cap or a cap that inadequately protects the chimney from animals or water penetration
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Proper hearth size and clearances to nearby combustibles
- Cracks in the back or side refractory panels
- Improperly connected section of chimney pipe within the flue
- Proper clearances from the chimney pipe to combustible materials
- Exterior deterioration of the wooden chase structure
- Rusting to the chase cover or other signs of leaking
- Missing chimney cap or a cap that inadequately protects the chimney from animals or water penetration
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Properly installed heat shields, and sufficient hearth size and clearance between the stove and nearby combustibles
- Warped or otherwise deteriorated stove components
- Improperly connected section of stove pipe.
- Proper clearances from the stove pipe to combustible materials
- Missing or inadequate chimney cap.
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Cleanliness and proper positioning of gas logs
- Correct voltage to the valves
- Pilot and burner functioning and cleanliness
In addition to servicing the gas unit, the flue or venting system must also be inspected as well. This inspection is the same as a wood burning hearth as described above and is based on the system in your home.
Wood and Gas Stoves FAQ
Masonry Fireplace
Fireplaces are the traditional open hearth system that we are most familiar with. Just about all forms of the traditional fireplace can be properly identified as a masonry fireplace. A masonry fireplace may be constructed mainly of bricks that have been cured and fired, but treated to a façade of stones that are fixed in place with the aid of cement or other binders.
Woodstoves
A woodstove is the most popular, flexible and economical wood heating option. A stove can be located almost anywhere there is enough space and where its chimney can be properly routed. Some aspects of the design of wood stoves are related more to looks and personal preference than to performance. For example, there is no functional difference between cast iron or plate steel construction, and painted or enameled finishes. These differences affect appearance and cost but not heating performance.
Fireplace Insert
An insert is most often a woodstove that is designed to fit into a non-traditional chimney.
Choosing between fuel systems for your hearth:
Burning Wood
There is a kind of elemental majesty in a wood fire, however, a wood burning appliance will require more time and attention. Wood must be hauled in and ash must be hauled out. It takes additional time to light a fire and wood burning fires can not be easily turned off. Wood fires are self-sufficient so will continue to provide heat when the power is out. Used responsibly wood is a natural and renewable resource. Modern woodstoves and inserts are increasingly fuel efficient.
Burning Gas
Gas appliances come in either vented or non-vented options. Initial cost can be higher as they require running the gas line unless this already exists in your home. Once installed gas appliance are very convienant, simply flip a switch to enjoy and flip again to turn off. Gas appliances may require electricity to operate blowers or thermostats so power outages may or may not effect your system. Both natural gas and propane are fossil fuels but affordable and relatively clean burning in today’s efficient appliances.
Alternate Fuels
Alternate fuels like most pellet stoves use electricity to efficiently burn wood products that have been made into “pellets”, they offer both advantages and disadvantages similar to gas and wood.
Quality Seasoned Firewood
Quality, well seasoned firewood will help your wood stove or fireplace burn efficiently. Green or wet wood can cause smoking and odor problems and increased creosote buildup which can lead to dangerous chimney fires. Hardwoods make the best firewood but equally important is a covered and well ventilated area to store your wood prior to use.
Local Firewood Sources:
These local businesses deliver and sell wood year round:
- Triangle Wood : 919.662.1016
- Jerry Crawford: 919.929.6869
- Firewood Unlimited: 336.213.9663
- Keith Green: 919.842.7808 (weekends)
- Piedmont Feed & Grain: 919.942.7848
- Robert Eubanks: 919.967.9988
What we look for:
- Properly installed heat shields, and sufficient hearth size and clearance between the stove and nearby combustibles
- Warped or otherwise deteriorated stove components
- Improperly connected section of stove pipe.
- Proper clearances from the stove pipe to combustible materials
- Missing or inadequate chimney cap.
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Cleanliness and proper positioning of gas logs
- Correct voltage to the valves
- Pilot and burner functioning and cleanliness
In addition to servicing the gas unit, the flue or venting system must also be inspected as well. This inspection is the same as a wood burning hearth as described above and is based on the system in your home.
Gutters FAQ
We recommend 3×4” downspouts because they have twice that inside area of 2×3” which makes them much less likely to clog. 3×4” downspouts also can handle twice the water volume which is very helpful in the heavy rains that we have in the summer. Whenever we install our Gorilla Guard gutter covers, we require 3×4” downspouts for these reasons.
We recommend that rain gutter installation should drop from the highest point to the lowest point at a rate of a quarter inch every 10’. This ensures that water fully drains out of the gutters after each rain and helps keep small bits of debris from lingering in the gutters.
Yes we do. We do not sell any particular brand of rain barrels but we are more than happy to connect your rain gutter system to any rain barrel that you choose.
There are two primary types of hangers in use today. The first type of hangers are called “spike and ferrule” hangers and involve a large nail or spike that is driven through the front of the gutter and into the house. While very strong, these hangers often lead to fascia rot and are also very hard to remove to adjust the gutter in any way.
The second type of hangers are called “hidden hangers.” These are brackets that clip into the gutter and then are attached to the house with a screw. The advantage of these hangers is that they can be easily installed and adjusted. One downside of these hangers is that they are often not as strong as “nail and ferrule” hangers. In order to address this, we use Raytec Hangfast gutter hangers capable of holding and impressive 260lbs per hanger.
If you need help with gutter installation, service or repair let us know using the contact form below and we will be glad to assist you.
On most homes, we recommend that you have one downspout for every 20’ – 30’ of the gutter. In some situations, you can drain 40’ of installed rain gutter to one downspout, but we try to avoid this as much as possible in order to maintain optimal performance and functioning of your gutter system.
No, while less expensive, vinyl gutters are also much less durable and often crack and break. We only install rain gutters made from heavy gauge aluminum, copper, and galvalume.
The gutter materials we use have a twenty year warranty, however we can’t guarantee the performance of the gutters because they will clog without a gutter cover or gutter guard like Gorilla Guard.
The Well Hung Gutter…
We get a lot of questions about what we mean by “A Well Hung Gutter” so here are a few pointers. This geographic region is uniquely in need of working gutters because of the trees debris, our squishy clay soil and despite annual cries of drought it generally rains a lot here in North Carolina.
Features of a Well Hung Gutter in the North Carolina Piedmont:
- Does not hold water – The rain gutter must be pitched toward the downspouts. This sounds ridiculously obvious but some major building companies specify minimally that no more than 1 inch of water is allowed to stand in the gutter. Standing water means leaky joints, drips, and rotting fascia boards.
- Has a full sized downspout outlet and downspouts. – Believe it or not, you can have a nice gutter but if the downspout is too small water will sit in the gutters unable to drain away. Downspouts and outlets should be 3×4 inches.
- Heavy duty hangers – If by some freak occurrence your gutters do clog and fill with water weak hangers can break, nails can pull loose and then gutters pull away from the house. Even a little bit of pulling away can mean trouble for your home.
- Has enough downspouts to handle the water runoff – The bigger the roof area directing water into your gutters the more downspout capacity you need. Other factors like roof pitch will affect the number of downspouts you need as well.
- Quality Miter joints – Whether it’s around a bay window or around the corner of your house, the more metal seams you have the more leaks you will have. “Box-miter” joints found on most homes are leaks just waiting to happen.
Maybe you never wonder about how your gutters are doing. Who wants to stand outside while it’s pouring rain to inspect them and if its not raining, who worries about their gutters? Don’t ignore some tall tale signs, they could lead to costly damage to your home.
Here are some things to look for:
- Dripping joints and stains
- Fascia boards with dark streaks or other discoloration
- Saplings and debris in your gutters
- Rotted or soft wood around windows and door sills
Worried that your gutters aren’t as well hung as they could be? Call us and we would be happy to come inspect your gutters and give you a free estimate on the best gutter solution to fit your home and budget.
You have probably come to the realization that gutters on your home are important because of both the amount of rain we receive and the heavy tree cover in our area of North Carolina. If the water coming off your roof is not handled properly then it will create all sorts of headaches and slowly destroy your home. Without regular cleaning clogged gutters can create more problems than having no gutters at all.
Considering gutter protection can be a daunting task, the more you research the idea the more you become confused with all the hype as well as all the pessimism, advice and promises. Take the time to do a little research and explore your options. Evaluate different systems and figure out your expectations and goals for your home.
I have been working with gutter protection for going on three decades and each system has its pros and cons. Part of the dilemma is that gutters are connected to other systems of the house, especially the roof. Roofs can be made from so many materials, with variations in pitch and locations of valleys which can direct rainwater to different areas. The question is what is the best system for you, your house with your tree cover and your budget? Here are some of the basic categories of choices for gutter protection.
Screen gutter covers:
There are as many different types of screens to protect your gutters as there are flavors of ice cream. There are lots of DIY options for screen type covers. Screens, for the most part, keep your gutter downspouts from clogging but the bigger problem for some homes is that the screens themselves get clogged and therefore prevent the gutters from carrying the water away from the house as they should. Some screens claim to “self-clean” but in most cases, a screen is a screen and will clog with debris and need to be cleaned. Screen systems may keep your gutters flowing but you should expect fairly frequent clogging and the need for cleaning. Additionally, the lifespan and materials of screen systems can vary a great deal.
Foam Gutter inserts:
This is a foam-like product that actually is stuffed into your gutter and allows all the water to filter through and into your gutter. Debris rests on top of the foam and similar to screen type systems will need to be cleaned off. If your gutters are not sloped properly foam inserts may trap and hold water in the gutter. This can lead to concerns about mold and mildew as well as damage from the weight of the water pulling on your gutters.
Solid gutter covers:
These covers are distinctly different than screen or foam options. Solid cover systems use water’s tendency to hug a curved surface to keep debris out of gutters. The leaves scoot off the cover and the rain hugs the curve and goes into the gutter. Solid covers tend to cost a bit more and require correct installation to work properly but they offer a longer lifespan than other types of protection due to their solid construction. A concern is that some overshooting can occur if there is a particularly heavy rain with lots of valleys directing water to the gutters. This situation happens in a very small percentage of homes.
My advice is for you to carefully choose a type of cover that best suits your budget and expectations for performance. Find a company that can stand behind the products that they sell and talk with them about your specific home and concerns. Ask them to come and inspect your particular roof and home before quoting a price or suggesting which system is right for you.
Usually, gutters are pulling away from the house because they are overloaded with debris or because the boards that they are attached to have begun to rot. In most cases, we recommend that the gutters be removed the rest of the way so any damage to the fascia boards can be repaired. We then recommend that at new gutters with Gorilla Guards be installed to protect the fascia boards from future damage.
Even though your downspouts are in good condition, we require all downspouts to be 3”x4” or greater when we are installing Gorilla Gutter Guards. We do this for two reasons. First, 2”x3” downspouts are often overwhelmed in heavy rains causing the gutter to overflow because it cannot drain fast enough. 3”x 4” downspouts address this because they have twice the drainage capacity of a 2”x 3” downspout. Second and most importantly, downspouts are always the biggest bottleneck in a rain gutter system and are the place that a gutter is most likely to clog. In our experience, we have found that gutter systems even with gutter guards occasionally have trouble at the downspouts when 2”x 3” downspouts are used. This is not the case with the larger 3”x 4” downspouts. We want to make sure that your gutters never have any trouble, so we always require the larger 3”x4” downspouts.
Gorilla Guard gutter guard covers prevent ice or snow from accumulating in the gutter. Once the ice or snow begins to melt, the water flows freely through the rain gutter and down the downspout. Occasionally, ice may bridge the gap between the cover and the lip of the gutter and icicles may form. The gutter stays clear. Once the ice begins to melt the icicles fall off and water flows freely into the gutter.
Gutter Guards FAQ
The gutter materials we use have a twenty year warranty, however we can’t guarantee the performance of the gutters because they will clog without a gutter cover or gutter guard like Gorilla Guard.
Not at all! In fact, most people find that Gorilla Gutter Guard covers enhance the appearance of the house! Because of its low profile, it is much less visible than similar products. By blending the color with that of the shingle, Gorilla Guard covers can become nearly invisible to the casual observer. Another advantage to having Gorilla Guard covers installed is that it is a capital improvement that increases the value of the home while making the gutters maintenance free.
Larger debris, such as twigs and leaves, cannot enter through the gap between gutter and cover. An important part of the Gorilla Gutter Guard cover installation procedure is a thorough gutter cleaning; subsequently, any dirt, roofing granules, and other small debris may be carried into the gutter without causing a problem. The flow of rainwater flushes this small debris through the always-clean gutters, and the downspouts do not get plugged.
No, Gorilla Guard covers are only available from Gutter Solutions. Our professional installation ensures that your existing gutters are properly hung and that the Gorilla Guard covers will function as intended. We want you to be happy!
Because of Gorilla Gutter Guard’sversatility in manufacturing, they has been successfully installed on several types of metal roofs as well as slate, wood shake, concrete tile roofs in addition to standard asphalt shingle roofs. Some competitor’s products cannot be installed on these different roof types.
Gorilla Gutter Guard covers are successfully installed on roofs pitched as steep as 23/12 (nearly vertical) without water coming off during even heavy rains.