by Dennis Lamb | May 24, 2016 | Fireplace Maintenance
Every summer, The Mad Hatter receives calls from customers complaining about unpleasant odors coming from their chimneys through their fireplaces. Several things can create stinky smells, and the heat and humidity in the summer can make these odors even worse. Now...
by Dennis Lamb | Jan 17, 2015 | Fireplace Maintenance
Has your old wood-burning fireplace seen better days? If you are ready to update your fireplace, consider installing a gas-fueled fireplace insert. Older wood-burning fireplaces can be unsafe to use as well as extremely inefficient. Installing a fireplace insert is an...
by Dennis Lamb | Jul 9, 2014 | Chimney Information, Chimney Maintenance, Fireplace Maintenance
Parging 101: All You Need to Know First things first. Let’s define parging. What is it really? Parging is the age-old way of protecting, caring for, or the decorating of any wooden or masonry layer with a stucco material. To parge enables the structure to last years....
by Dennis Lamb | Mar 17, 2014 | Chimney Information, Chimney Maintenance, Chimney Sweeping, Fireplace Maintenance
Have you ever experienced waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of animals going in and out of your chimney? Isn’t it just annoying? It’s not only disturbing, it can also destroy the inside of your chimney. Yes, it can cost you a fortune, and all because...
by Dennis Lamb | Mar 2, 2014 | Chimney Maintenance, Chimney Sweeping, Fire Safety, Fireplace Maintenance
It’s when you have a dirty fireplace that is filled with ash that you open doors to bigger problems like fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Both equally deadly situations. We can all agree that this is something that should not be underestimated. We all want to make...
by Dennis Lamb | Jan 23, 2014 | Chimney Information, Chimney Maintenance, Fireplace Information, Fireplace Maintenance
With homeownership comes great responsibility. If something breaks, you can either fix it yourself or find someone with the requisite skill set to do the work for you. Cracks and/or overall deterioration in your firebox will, more than likely, fall into the latter...
