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 that spring has arri

Within the inner walls of your chimney, dangers could be lurking that you are not able to see. If it has been a while since your chimney has been professionally swept and inspected, you may not know exactly how great the risks could be. As the Chimney Safety Institute of America claim

As soon as the weather gets warmer, The Mad Hatter receives calls from our customers asking us why their chimneys are so stinky. You can blame unpleasant fireplace and chimney odors on heat and humidity. Hot temperatures combined with extra moisture in the air can accelerate and worse

One of the leading causes of chimney fires, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), creosote build-up is a dangerous fact of life when you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove. Removing creosote deposits from your chimney walls plays a big role in your annual ch

The essential ingredient to a successful fire, the right firewood can provide you with convenient, effective, and safe heat all winter long. Many homeowners with a fireplace know very little about choosing and storing firewood correctly. Our customers at The Mad Hatter often ask our a

The most important maintenance task to ensure fireplace safety, chimney sweeping should be done at least once a year. According to The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), and other fire safety organizations, an annual chimney sw

You have routine maintenance done on many of the things you own so why should your chimney be any different?  You want your fireplace to be to be both visually appealing and safe for you and your family.  It is recommended that every year you have a chimney sweep and basic inspection.

Spring is the perfect time to get your chimney in tip-top condition for the fall. When the last of winter’s fires is out, no new combustibles are going up the flue and no new creosote is forming. So far, so good! Now it is time to remove the creosote that is already there and thorough

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

It is finally time to fire up the chimney for a nice romantic night at home with your significant other. The setting is perfect, except as soon as the fire starts to burn, an awful odor enters the room through the fireplace. In just a few moments, the entire home is engulfed in this a