Serving Minneapolis, St. Paul and the Surrounding Communities
A little snow doesn’t stop the 2nd Generation Chimneys team from getting your chimney cleaned! No matter the season, our crew is ready to work. We have a team of experts that will thoroughly inspect and clean your chimney, as well as offer any additional repair services needed. It is our goal to keep your family safe and warm all winter long.
Are you looking for ways to maintain efficiency while heating your Minneapolis area home with a fireplace or wood stove this winter? At 2nd Generation Chimneys, we can help you heat your home more efficiently with a few tips from our chimney and fireplace experts. You can always call us if you would like to know more about saving energy in your home.
Whether you heat your home with a fireplace or wood stove, there’s potential for air loss through the chimney. You can prevent this with the right damper and chimney cap. The damper will help keep the warm air inside and the cold air out when you aren’t using your fireplace or wood stove. This will help with efficiency and prevent backdraft.
A sturdy chimney cap will also protect the inside of your flue and your flue liner from moisture issues. A chimney screen can also prevent flying sparks from creating a fire and keep animals out of your chimney. Lastly, burning the right kind of wood can also help with efficiency since it prevents excess creosote build-up.
There are many small tasks you can do to make your home more efficient overall. Adding insulation, sealing off air leaks, and upgrading the components of your heating system are some of the main ways homeowners can lower energy costs. Getting your fireplace, wood stove, and chimney inspected by a professional chimney technician will also help.
Whether you are looking for a new damper, chimney cap, or you need to schedule your next chimney inspection, call the Minneapolis chimney and fireplace experts at 2nd Generation Chimneys any time. Contact 2nd Generation Chimneys today!
Whether you own a traditional fireplace, wood stove, or fireplace insert, installing a chimney cap on the chimney in your Maple Grove, MN home is important for several reasons. Call 2nd Generation for all your chimney needs.
One of the main benefits of a chimney cap is that it keeps moisture out of the inside of the chimney. While all fireplaces and wood stoves create some creosote build-up, adding moisture to excess build-up can create deterioration due to corrosion. Because the cap extends across the crown, it can also protect the crown from damage due to moisture, especially if your chimney masonry is in need of sealing.
You can also install a combination chimney screen and cap to prevent animals from nesting inside the flue liner. Chimneys are a favorite nesting site for small animals, such as birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons. Not only is animal infestation dangerous to the animals, but when they nest in your chimney, it prevents proper ventilation and airflow. We can also install metal screens designed to cover roof and attic vents to prevent animals from getting inside your home through these openings.
Chimney screens installed at the top of your chimney cap prevent flying sparks from catching nearby brush or trees on fire. Sparks can also set fire to your roof under the right conditions. When you install a cap and damper system, you can also save on your heating bills, in addition to preventing safety concerns.
While there are several options for chimney caps, call one of our fireplace and chimney experts to help you decide on the right one for your chimney. We can go over the different models that we sell and install. Remember, if you haven’t scheduled, your annual chimney cleaning and inspection, it’s never too late. We will inspect your cap, screen, and damper to ensure that they are doing their job.
Help protect your chimney and fireplace by calling 2nd Generation Chimneys of Maple Grove, MN today to schedule an appointment with one of our friendly technicians. Contact 2nd Generation Chimneys today!
If you have experienced a Chimney Fire, the Pixley family at 2nd Generation Chimneys is here to help you with the repairs and restoration. We are experienced in walking our clients through the insurance process and ensuring piece of mind with quality restoration from our expert technicians. Maintenance and inspection is the ideal way to prevent chimney fires, so remember to call us to schedule an appointment!
Here are a couple photos from a home that experienced a chimney fire. This is what it looks like inside from top to bottom:
The chimney repair experts at 2nd Generation Chimneys know that the only way to be certain that your chimney is clear of debris or damage is if you can see it with your own eyes. This is why we use the Chim-Scan to photograph our chimney inspection work. This device also allows us to scope your chimney for visual assistance that cannot be attained with the use of a flashlight or natural sunlight. Check out the images below and to “see” the difference:
If you’ve never owned a brick chimney or if you’ve never paid any attention to the one that you have, you may not know what tuckpointing is. But if your chimney has started to crack, lean or deteriorate, you may have started to hear about tuckpointing. We thought it would be helpful for our customers in St. Paul to learn more about this process and why it is necessary for chimney repairs. Below we’ve put together a brief description of what tuckpointing is and why you need it for your chimney repairs.
Tuckpointing is the process of repairing the mortar joints between bricks. While the actual bricks in your chimney can last up to 100 years, the mortar joints between them can last around 25 years or more. The tuckpointing process involves routing out the old mortar and then replacing it with new, fresh mortar. Here is how the process works for a typical red brick chimney:
In this way, the original clean shape of the bricks and the mortar are recreated.
As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to cause some serious problems.
Your chimney should be inspected and maintained every 2 to 3 years. With proper maintenance and repair, including tuckpointing, your chimney should potentially have a long life.
If you have any questions about tuckpointing or chimney repair, call the experts at 2nd Generation Chimney. If you think that your chimney needs tuckpointing, call us and we’ll send one of our technicians out to your home to take a look. about this process and why it is necessary for chimney repairs. Below we’ve put together a brief description of what tuckpointing is and why you need it for your chimney repairs.
Tuckpointing is the process of repairing the mortar joints between bricks. While the actual bricks in your chimney can last up to 100 years, the mortar joints between them can last around 25 years or more. The tuckpointing process involves routing out the old mortar and then replacing it with new, fresh mortar. Here is how the process works for a typical red brick chimney:
In this way, the original clean shape of the bricks and the mortar are recreated.
As the mortar joints in your chimney deteriorate they can start to cause some serious problems.
Your chimney should be inspected and maintained every 2 to 3 years. With proper maintenance and repair, including tuckpointing, your chimney should potentially have a long life.
If you have any questions about tuckpointing or chimney repair, call the experts at 2nd Generation Chimney. If you think that your chimney needs tuckpointing, call us and we’ll send one of our technicians out to your home to take a look.
Our crew at 2nd Generation Chimneys is trained to detect and protect your family from fire hazards in your chimney, such as replacing 
your chimney lining. Non-combustible material is used in the liners we install to protect your home from combustible gas and smoke that can damage or start fires in your chimney. Give us a call today to find out how we can restore your chimney to safe working order with a new liner or other repair. We are here to serve you in St. Paul and the entire Twin Cities area!
2nd Generation Chimneys is out and about in your neighborhood sweeping chimneys and getting households ready for the winter season. Our crew is ready for you, so give us a call today and we will come prepared for all your chimney needs. 1-888-PIXLEYS
Many of our customers in Minneapolis have asked about level 3 creosote and how it differs from normal creosote build-up, so we’ve created a helpful post to explain the difference and how to prevent level 3 creosote. Don’t hesitate to call 2nd Generation Chimneys any time if you have further questions. We’re here to provide you with all your Minneapolis chimney needs, so call today!
What is Creosote?
Creosote is a natural by-product of burning wood inside your fireplace or wood stove. Any type of wood-burning application will create some level of creosote build-up inside the chimney flue. Depending on the type of wood you use and the ventilation inside your home, creosote can build up quickly inside your flue lining. Regular chimney cleanings should take care of any normal build-up, but if your chimney hasn’t been inspected or cleaned in a while, the creosote creates a thick, gummy substance that is more difficult to get rid of. This is categorized as “level 3 creosote,” and it can cause potential fire hazards and corrosion of your chimney liner.
Ways to Prevent Level 3 Creosote Build-up
Annual chimney and fireplace inspections are a good way to prevent level 3 creosote. Scheduling an inspection before the heating season begins is ideal for a few reasons, namely because our chimney technicians can detect and clean out any Level 3 creosote from inside your chimney. In many cases, using chemicals is one of the only ways to get rid of this type of build-up. Ask your technician if you have concerns or questions. In addition to fire hazards, moisture inside the chimney is a common problem, especially if your masonry chimney has cracks, or your chimney cap is not properly installed. When moisture gets inside your flue liner and mixes with creosote build-up, it can create a chemical that can start to corrode the lining.
Wood-Burning Tip
Another important tip to remember is toburn the right type of wood. If you are burning “green” or wet wood, it can create more creosote build-up due to the nature of the unseasoned wood. “Seasoned” wood is wood that has been dried out for at least six months in a proper location. Always try to dry your wood in a covered area, where moisture cannot penetrate the wood pile. If you have questions, call us.
Contact the Minneapolis chimney technicians 2nd Generation Chimneys today to schedule your next chimney inspection. We can help prevent safety concerns with a Level 1. 2. or 3 inspection. Call us any time to schedule an appointment.
The Pixley family does it all! We clean, sweep, inspect, install, and of course repair chimney’s and fireplaces. If your chimney is beginning to fall apart from age or other unforeseen damage, give 2nd Generation Chimneys a call to get it fixed! Our team is equipped with the skills and tools to take care of all your chimney needs.
