2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Ramsey’

What Happens During Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning?

Thursday, December 4th, 2014

One of the biggest fire hazards to your home comes from an appliance you might never suspect: the clothes dryer. Dryers contain a vent that exhausts water vapor and other by-products of clothes drying to the outdoors. Unfortunately, this necessary outlet is also responsible for 15,600 structure fires every year according to the U.S. Fire Administration. When the exhaust vent becomes clogged with lint, fire is a distinct possibility, and while cleaning the lint trap is a good habit for dryer use, it cannot prevent lint from lining the inside of the vent as well.

Some trained technicians offer professional dryer vent cleaning so that you can rest easy knowing this is one component of your home you won’t have to worry about for years to come. This is a service best left to a professional with the proper tools and trained eyes to recognize problems and keep your vent clear.

The Dryer Vent Cleaning Process

Dryer vent cleaning, when performed by a professional, involves a set of steps that the average homeowner may glaze over or be ill-equipped to handle. There are actually several ways one can go about cleaning a dryer vent, one of which involves simply using a flexible rotating brush that connects to a vacuum. The brush angles to reach every nook and cranny of the dryer vent while a powerful vacuum collects any debris therein. This is important because it not only prevents fire hazards, but your dryer also performs better when there is less blockage, improving efficiency and reducing the need for repairs or replacement parts.

Finally comes the inspection. This is another portion of the process that can be done incorrectly if you examine the vents with an untrained eye. A skilled technician measures the airflow of the dryer vent with a digital airflow meter before and after the cleaning to make sure that the airflow has increased. These tools are often unavailable to amateurs or can be costly and difficult to use.

Don’t trust the fate of your home to just anyone.

Put your confidence in dryer vent cleaning experts, like the people at 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. For dryer vent cleaning in Ramsey, Call Us Today! 612.922.9600 or 1-888-PIXLEYS

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Minneapolis Chimney Guide: Professional Chimney Cleaning Steps

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

There are few things as comforting on a cold night as a crackling fire in your living room. No matter how much or how little you use your fireplace it is important to have your chimney cleaned annually. When it comes to cleaning your chimney the only way to ensure that it is safe and structurally sound is to call a Minneapolis chimney cleaning professional. Anyone can sweep the soot out of a chimney, but a professional chimney sweep provides much more service than that. Here is some information about the professional chimney cleaning process.

A professional chimney sweep starts by cleaning and inspecting the fireplace, moving upwards to the flu and chimney. The chimney sweep also inspects the chimney flashing and crown. The chimney flashing is the seal between the joints of your building and the chimney and the crown sits on top of the chimney, protecting the masonry from water and weather damage.

Once the fireplace is cleaned the damper is removed. This is the part of chimney is seals the opening when the fireplace is not in use. Its removal allows for brush access to the smoke shelf and chamber. The smoke chamber functions to reduce backdraft when smoke enters the flue, and the smoke shelf catches falling debris and rain water. It is vital that these areas be clean and unobstructed.

Once the area is cleared it is time to begin the actual sweeping of the chimney. Most professionals will skip the handheld brush for one mounted on a heavy duty drill. This allows for a much more thorough scraping and cleaning of the built up creosote than simply feeding a brush through by hand. Once the brushing is done the crew will vacuum up the mess, being sure to clear the smoke shelf of all debris.

Once the cleaning has been completed, your professional chimney sweep may feed video equipment through the damper opening. This will allow them to inspect the condition and integrity of the chimney flue and mortar joints. Most serious issues with chimneys are discovered during routine chimney sweeping. Video inspection allows for detection of water damage, missing or degraded mortar joints, black stains indicating smoke leakage and a slew of other possible issues.

Once a year, every year, have a Minneapolis chimney professional clean your chimney. If you have any questions regarding this information, the pros at 2nd Generation Chimneys are willing, able and happy to provide answers.

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Mendota Heights Chimney & Fireplace Tips: Saving Energy with Masonry Heaters

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Most energy experts agree that masonry heaters are one of the most efficient, durable, and easy to use fireplace or wood stove systems you can have in. If you are considering building a masonry heater in your Mendota Heights home, you should understand how they work so that you are familiar with their benefits.

Masonry heaters are distinguished by their structure, design, and ability to burn wood or pellet fuel efficiently. Masonry heaters are also referred to as Russian or Siberian fireplaces, and they look similar to brick ovens because of the masonry structure that is built around the firebox or stove insert. Inside the masonry, a complex and carefully designed system of smoke channels distribute the heat throughout the home over a longer period of time, which means it does not need to be loaded often like traditional fireplaces.

Because Russian fireplaces can also withstand extreme temperatures, they only need to be re-loaded once or twice a day. Once the load is burned, the heat is stored in what is known as the “masonry thermal mass,” which provides you with one of the most efficient radiant heating systems available. Masonry heaters are also ideal during the times you only need a small amount of heat because you can burn a smaller load to meet your heating needs.

If you have an existing fireplace, you have the option of modifying your fireplace or stove with a custom-built masonry fireplace installation. However, any type of masonry heater should be installed by an experienced professional.  Installing the masonry heater incorrectly can create fire hazards and will be less efficient.  In addition, you will need to know how to properly stack and burn the wood (unless you are using a pellet stove) so that the wood burns rapidly enough to provide clean fuel. When you burn wood or fuel too slowly, it can produce tars and other combustion pollutants. If you aren’t sure what the “critical burn rate” is for your wood or pellet-burning appliance, you will need to know this before installing a custom masonry heater.

You can always call 2nd Generation Chimneys if you aren’t sure whether a masonry heater is right for your Mendota Heights home. We’re always glad to answer questions and offer our expert advice.

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