It’s spring, and before you know it, the days will be humid and hot. It may not seem like it now, but unless your chimney is equipped with a top-sealing damper, this humidity will affect your chimney. Humid air and moisture mingling with the soot and creosote in your chimney can

If you decide to buy an older home, you most likely know you will have more maintenance responsibilities to be sure all of the systems in your home are up to modern building safety codes and regulations. Standards can change over the years, and you need to ensure the previous owners m

The harsh freezing temperatures of winter can bring lots of damage to masonry chimneys, and The Mad Hatter wants to help you be prepared this winter. Why does so much damage occur to chimneys in the winter? According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), water is the bigg

Known as “the silent killer,” carbon monoxide is an odorless and tasteless toxic gas that is given off by any burning fuel, which means that your fireplace or stove produces it. Responsible for killing hundreds of Americans each year, carbon monoxide also causes thousands of people to

Unfortunately, many people do not realize that you can end up with animals in your chimney until they find something living in theirs. In fact, having animals set up their homes inside of the chimney is a rather common problem. Although it occurs quite easily, it is also a fairly easy

So small and seemingly inconsequential, chimney caps are more than just icing on a cake, performing a critical function. No more a merely decorative detail than the roof on a house, the chimney cap is what protects the chimney. Somehow, that often gets forgotten when we look up at nei

The single most important step to take towards fireplace safety is to call a professional chimney sweep for an annual cleaning. They will sweep out soot and debris, remove any rocky or waxy creosote that has accumulated, and inspect both your chimney and fireplace. Trained to spot and