Our Company Blog

Make Sure Your Hearth Is Ready for the Holidays

Believe it or not, the holiday season is just around the corner. Now is the time to be making all of the necessary preparations for this busy time of year so that you can relax once the holidays arrive. When you have a fireplace, it is most likely one of your main focal points in your home. Your holiday guests will enjoy spending time with you by the hearth, which means you need to be sure it is ready for the season. For residents of the Austin, TX area, Atlas Chimney is ready to help you with all of your professional fireplace and chimney needs. We would like to give you a few tips to make sure your hearth looks its best and will be safe all holiday season long.

Schedule an appointment for your annual professional chimney sweeping and inspection.

The last thing you want to happen during the holidays is a chimney fire, which is why it is so important to have your chimney professionally swept and inspected before the season begins. You can trust Atlas Chimney to remove every bit of flammable creosote from the inner chimney walls to reduce the risk of a chimney fire. We will also make sure during our inspection of your chimney there is no damage present that could cause your fireplace to be unsafe to use during the holidays and the rest of the winter season.

Do not overload the mantel with holiday decorations made of flammable materials.

While you may love the look of stockings hanging from the mantel, Consumer Safety warns of placing these holiday decor staples in front of your fireplace. Other types of decorations that should not be placed on the mantel include garlands and paper decorations. If you insist on decorating your hearth with stockings, make sure you have another place to hang them when the fireplace is in use to prevent an accidental fire from starting.

Keep children and pets safe around the fireplace.

If you do not have kids or pets of your own, you may have some visiting your home over the holidays. You want to make sure your hearth is safe for them by placing a screen in front of the fireplace opening. This will protect young children and pets, who can be very curious about the flames burning in the fireplace. You will also keep toddlers who are just learning how to walk safe from stumbling and falling upon a stone or brick hearth.

Contact Us

Get your hearth ready for this holiday season! Contact us today at Atlas Chimney to make an appointment for your annual professional chimney maintenance services.

Fireplace Damper Issues

In order to work at its best, your chimney and its components need to be in good condition. What happens when something is wrong with one of its components? Well, it can cause minor to major problems with your chimney and fireplace. Some of these problems can even endanger your health and safety! One of the most essential components of your chimney is the fireplace damper. Do you have an older traditional throat damper? If so, it can suffer from rusting and other types of corrosion damage that can make it difficult to open and close. This can also lead to other issues. Atlas Chimney is here to help you troubleshoot chimney and fireplace problems that can be caused by a damaged damper. Now, we would like to tell you more about a couple of common fireplace damper issues.

Smoky Fireplace

Although other issues can cause smoke to blow back into your living space, not being able to fully open your fireplace damper is often behind this problem. If you have had any water leaking into your chimney, it does not just hurt the masonry materials. Water can cause the metal components of your chimney, including your fireplace damper, to become rusted. That corrosive damage makes it difficult to adjust the position of the damper to be completely opened. You may also experience problems with the handle that moves the damper. According to Do It Yourself, the handle can become disconnected from the damper. This makes it impossible to fully close or open it! When your damper cannot open completely, it can cause smoke to be forced back into your home through the fireplace.

Low Energy Efficiency

If your damper or its handle have become unable to move properly, there is also the possibility that it could become stuck in the completely opened position. This will not only negatively affect your energy efficiency during the winter when you are using your fireplace. There will still be an opening through your chimney and fireplace system that will allow cooled indoor air to escape and hot outside air to invade your home. Your utility bills could increase steadily all year round, if your damper is unable to close.

Atlas Chimney recommends updating your old throat damper with a new top-mounted damper. Why? Not only will it cause you fewer problems, but it will also save you money on your utility bills. To schedule an appointment for a professional installation of a top-mounted damper from our CSIA-certified chimney technicians, contact us today!