Working sweeps' notes for Philadelphia homeowners : how often to sweep, creosote safety, when to repair, caps and liners, and avoiding bad actors.
An honest look at how much is a chimney liner for Philadelphia homes, from a local chimney crew.
Read more →The chimneys on Roxborough's ridge are taller and steeper than the city average, and that changes how they collect creosote and how they have to be swept. Here is what the hillside does to a flue and why getting the whole length clean matters.
Read more →Many older Manayunk homes have an open wood fireplace and a gas appliance venting from the same chimney stack, and the two flues need very different care. Here is how to keep both working safely.
Read more →The stone chimneys on older homes around the Wissahickon are built differently than brick, and caring for them takes a different approach. Here is why stone masonry weathers the way it does and what a proper repair involves.
Read more →The chimney is one of the systems a general home inspection skims, and on an older East Falls home it can carry real surprises. Here is what a proper chimney inspection covers and why it pays to handle it before you list.
Read more →Chimneys close to the Schuylkill take on more moisture than most, and that damp is behind a lot of the masonry trouble on the Manayunk hillside. Here is how water gets into a stack, what it does, and how to stop it.
Read more →When the masonry above the roofline has weathered, the question is whether repointing will do or whether the stack needs rebuilding. Here is how to tell the difference on an exposed hilltop chimney, and how an honest crew decides.
Read more →One call reaches a real Philadelphia chimney crew that documents the chimney with photos and quotes it clearly, with no surprises at the end.