by Mark Hudson | Nov 15, 2019 | Chimney Inspection
When it’s time to light the first fire of the season, the last thing you want to think about is rushing to schedule important chimney and fireplace services. When you wait until the last minute to schedule your chimney sweep and inspection, you risk the Fall Rush. This is the first few weeks of burn season in which chimney sweep companies are busy. Packed schedules can make getting necessary services almost impossible. Don’t wait. Don’t procrastinate! Schedule important services now. Your chimney sweep and inspection is an investment in your future. It saves lives, property, and even money in the long-run.
The Fall Rush
Homeowners who procrastinate important maintenance for their home may end up paying for it in the future. If you depend on your fireplace, insert, or stove for supplemental heat, you cannot risk lighting it without an inspection. By lighting it before an inspection, you put your home and family at risk for fire and chimney emergencies. If you wait too long, you may miss out on the services you require at a desirable time. We don’t want our customers to choose between safety and comfort this year. We want you to be able to light your fire safely this year, and we always want to be your trusted choice. That is why we offer our expert chimney services year-round and encourage homeowners to schedule ahead of time!
Proper Maintenance = Safe Chimneys
Only those fireplace and chimney systems that are routinely cleaned and annually inspected are safest and efficient. Even the most advanced fire appliance and a properly installed chimney system will become inefficient without proper maintenance. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends chimney inspections and sweeps for safety and efficiency no matter how old the system is and no matter how often it is used. As a fire is burned in the hearth, creosote and soot are produced and rises up the chimney. These microscopic particles of carbon and tar cling to the sides of the flue and will eventually lead to corrosion and buildup if not removed. When creosote is allowed to buildup and overheat, the water vapors are removed and it is transformed into a hardened, highly flammable mass of “glazed creosote”. This material slows airflow through the flue and creates a serious fire hazard as dangerous temperatures heat the creosote and ignite it, resulting in a flue fire.
It isn’t just wood fires that need to be maintained annually. Gas fires don’t produce creosote, but they do produce carbon monoxide and water vapors. These can still lead to furniture and home damage and respiratory issues for the family. Carbon monoxide exposure can lead to permanent organ damage and possible death. The only way to ensure your system is working properly and safely is to schedule maintenance annually with a certified expert.
Clean Chimneys for Christmas
The chimney sweep and inspection are vital for safety for certain, but it also enriches your home and your holiday experience. When your chimney and fireplace are squeaky clean, the blaze will be beautiful and strong, the hearth will be clean of creosote and ash, and your living space will be warm and cozy. The fireplace has a special place in the holiday scene. It’s the backdrop for gift-giving, movie nights, parties, and even family photos. With a clean chimney, you won’t have to worry about a smelly living room either!
Chimney Inspections in Jacksonville
Whether you burn a fire every day or only a few times per month, you still need to have it inspected every 12 months. This keeps it working safely and identifies damages and hazards before they put your family and your home in danger. Residents in and around Jacksonville have put their trust in Hudson Chimney for over 30 years for chimney care and diagnostics. We offer level one, two, and three inspections, and our trained eyes and skilled hands know exactly where to look for problems both common and uncommon.
SCHEDULE A LEVEL ONE INSPECTION if you:
- have had no problems with your chimney system over the last year
- haven’t changed it
- plan to use it the same way for the next year as well.
SCHEDULE A LEVEL TWO INSPECTION if:
- you’ve made changes to your system
- you suspect problems with your system
- it’s been through a serious storm or natural disaster that might cause damage to your system.
A level two inspection is also required before the sale or transfer of land and includes a thorough assessment of the entire chimney interior by video surveillance equipment.
SCHEDULE A LEVEL THREE INSPECTION if:
- a hazard is suspected during a lesser level inspection.
Your technician should present a detailed report before proceeding with a level three inspection because they may require demolition and most often end in repair.
Remember, before you light your fire this fall, make sure it’s safe! Schedule your chimney sweep or inspection with Hudson Chimney today. Dial 904-282-4159.
by Mark Hudson | Oct 28, 2019 | Chimney Inspection
Using a fireplace that hasn’t been cleaned or inspected puts your home and family at risk. Your fire may burn nicely with a beautiful, dancing flame, but there may be unseen problems. Many homeowners don’t know what signs to look for that might indicate a chimney problem. Much of the system is unseen and oftentimes there is serious damage by the time the homeowner notices any problem at all. The safest chimneys are those that are maintained by a professional regularly.
Routine Chimney Services
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) agree that the safest and most efficient chimneys are cleaned regularly and inspected annually. Home and business owners in and around Jacksonville, Florida can have their chimney systems cleaned and inspected by Hudson Chimney, Jacksonville’s favorite for over 30 years.
Chimney Sweeping and Cleaning
Cleaning the chimney system from top to bottom means it’s safe from the inside out. When you schedule a chimney sweep with us, a certified expert from Hudson Chimney will be there to help. We’ll use specialized brushes and rods to sweep away soot and creosote from the flue walls. Then, we collect the dust and debris in an industrial vacuuming system.
Creosote buildup in the chimney system is a serious fire hazard. Lighting a fire in a dirty chimney may put your home and your family at great risk. Creosote is made up mostly of tar and can reach a condensed level of buildup called Glazed Creosote. This buildup can slow airflow through the flue and ignite when temperatures are extreme and sparks rise up the chimney. Glazed creosote cannot be removed by brush during a standard chimney sweep but will require professional removal by an industrial product. Avoid this extra hassle by schedule regular chimney sweeps to remove creosote before it becomes a problem.
CSIA Inspections
Homeowners may not know what to look for, but a trained and experienced chimney expert will. Your chimney inspection is the most important appointment you’ll make for your home this year. They prevent accidental fires, chimney water leaks, and serious structural damage.
It’s our goal and mission in the chimney industry to bring down the instances of residential fires and a large part of this is accomplished through providing important services like these. Chimney fires are 100 percent preventable. A properly-constructed chimney system with all the right parts working together correctly will vent the fire safely and efficiently. When you schedule a CSIA inspection and your chimney gets a clean bill of health from a certified professional, you can rest assured that the system will work correctly all winter long.
If you reside in Jacksonville and own or rent a home with a fireplace, there is time to schedule your chimney maintenance in time for your winter fires.
Call us at 904-282-4159 or contact us online.
by Mark Hudson | Oct 17, 2019 | Gas
Gas fires are more and more popular among homeowners, contractors, developers, and property managers. Even the hospitality industry has begun using gas fireplaces in hotel rooms and cabins,
allowing for an extra level of ambiance for the user while also lowering the cost of central heating. If you have a gas fireplace and you aren’t sure what kind it is, we can help. If you’re looking to add a new gas fireplace to your home or property, we can help. There are many different types of gas fire units, including fireplaces, log sets, inserts, and stoves. It’s important to know what you have so that you can properly use and care for it. If you’re converting from wood to gas, it’s important to know your options so you can choose wisely.
Converting to Gas
A popular wood-to-gas conversion can be accomplished by installing a gas log set or a gas insert directly into the existing firebox. Your chimney professional may recommend this type of action if you’re looking to convert to gas without a lot of repair or fuss. The log set and the insert are very different, however, regardless of them using the same fuel type. Your chimney and fire expert will determine which is best based on a few factors: ventilation, budget, and need.
Gas Log Sets
If your budget is tight, a gas log set is a great way to convert a wood fireplace to gas. It will require a new natural gas line installed in or near the fireplace. If you choose a vent-free gas log set, you don’t even need to use the chimney. This is a great advantage if the chimney is in poor health. If costly repairs are out of the question, you can install a gas log set and close off the chimney completely. If your chimney is not an issue and the liner is appropriate for gas fires, your new fire can be a vented gas log set. It will burn with a beautiful, realistic yellow flame—unlike vent-free fires which burn blue—and will vent soot and harmful vapors up the chimney.
Gas Inserts
If the goal is to convert a wood fireplace to a gas one and your budget is a bit more generous, a gas insert is a fantastic option. Your gas insert should be ordered by a professional who has measured the space exactly. An insert is a closed unit that is retrofitted directly into the existing firebox. Attempting to install a unit that is too large or small can result in a fire hazard, and using a new insert with an existing chimney can lead to devastating results as well. Your chimney expert will need to pipe up from the new insert to change the chimney size to meet the new smaller capacity of your insert. Once it’s installed, the liner will give the entire hearth a whole new look. Inserts come in styles ranging from contemporary to rustic and everything in between.
Are you looking to convert an existing fireplace with a new gas log set or insert? We can help you understand which gas unit is best for your fireplace. You should only hire a professional to complete this work to avoid problems with your gas fireplace.
by Mark Hudson | Sep 30, 2019 | waterproofing
Your chimney is at risk of serious damage if it hasn’t been waterproofed. Many homeowners think that a well-constructed chimney or professionally-installed system is good to go. Many 
homeowners aren’t even aware that chimneys can BE waterproofed—and should be! The truth is that water is such a hazard to a properly-functioning chimney that industry professionals have designed specialized products to protect them.
Chimney Water Damage
Your chimney is at risk for water damage year-round. Whether you live on the coast, in the mountains, in a mild climate, or elsewhere, your chimney will be affected by water. The goal of every homeowner and every chimney professional is to keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the chimney. Once it penetrates the system, it can damage it from inside out. What’s more, your chimney leak can lead to water damage and leaks in other areas of the house.
Common water damage includes:
- Rusted dampers, fireplace accessories, connectors, and glass doors
- Deterioration of metal and masonry assemblies
- Deterioration of adjacent structural materials and wall coverings
- Damaged central heating system and flue lining system
- Collapsed hearth support, tilted chimney, collapsed structure
- Chimney settlement
- Spalling masonry and damaged mortar
- Clogged clean-out area
- Water-stains of masonry, walls, floors, and furniture
Winter Water Damage
Water damage is worse in winter months than at any other time. This is because once the water penetrates the masonry through cracks or porous spaces, it freezes and expands. As the water expands, space is made and the masonry is broken apart. When a fire is lit in the system and the chimney warms up, the ice is melted and the water runs further into the damaged masonry. This process, called the freeze/thaw cycle, is repeated month after month, all winter long. The freeze/thaw cycle results in what professionals in the industry call “winter damage”. When your chimney isn’t properly waterproofed, it will take on winter damage that will need to be repaired in the spring to avoid more damage and costly repairs.
Preventable Damage
Like many problems and hazards that can affect your chimney system, water damage is also preventable. You can protect your chimney by hiring a certified professional to maintain it properly. Serving Jacksonville for over 30 years, Hudson Chimney strives to offer valuable services to our customers year after year. By choosing Hudson for all of your chimney needs, you ensure your system is ready for all the seasons, tropical storm season, fire season, and anything that comes your way. Your chimney system is meant to last years—at least as many years as your home or longer. Chimneys and fireplaces add value to your home, but only if they aren’t costing you every year in damages!
We diagnose and repair leaky chimneys, but we also prevent chimney leaks in the first place! Schedule waterproofing services with Hudson Chimney this fall and protect your masonry from tropical storms, mineral-heavy water, humidity, and more. We apply an industrial water-repellant that allows you chimney to breathe and vent properly while also keeping water molecules out. This waterproofing agent doesn’t change the look of your masonry at all, penetrates deep into the masonry, and lasts up to 8 years! If you have never waterproofed your system or have had recent masonry repairs, contact our team today to schedule.
by Mark Hudson | Sep 16, 2019 | About Us
When it comes to chimney installation, repair, and maintenance, it’s important to hire only certified professionals for the job. For years the chimney industry had been under-regulated until the 1980s when the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) created a standard by which to hold professionals. Now, chimney sweeps across the country have a credential strive for and homeowners and consumers have a certification they can depend on.
CSIA Certified Professionals
We are not only CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps (CCS), but also CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technicians (CDET). We trust the
Chimney Safety Institute of America with our training, examination, re-certification, and our progressive advancement in an ever-changing industry. As CSIA certified professionals, we are educated online or in a classroom, examined over standards, chimney safety, and federal codes and regulations. Those holding a CSIA certification must re-certify every three years by way of re-examination or continuing education credits and adhere to a stringent code of ethics created to protect consumers from scams of the industry. Those found to be in violation of the code of ethics can have their certification revoked. It’s our goal as CSIA certified technicians to not only serve our customers but also to educate and protect them.
Affiliations and Memberships
We are not only certified professionals, but we also connect with other experts in our field by joining associations and maintaining memberships and affiliations. We maintain memberships in the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCWG), the Georgia Chimney Sweep Guild (GCSG), and owner Mark is the founder and president of the Florida Guild of Professional Chimney Sweeps (FGPCS). Through these organizations, we are able to stay ahead of the best brands, products, and technologies in the industry as well as changes to standards and more.
Education as Foundation
The foundation of a good chimney sweep company is education. It is important to us and our customers that we stay up to date on all new advancements and standards to keep our customers safe and comfortable year after years. Our team at Hudson Chimney doesn’t stop at the standard set for the industry but rises above and beyond it with the latest tools, trends, equipment, and products. When you depend on Hudson, you are trusting your chimney with the best—Jacksonville’s chosen chimney care company for over thirty years!
Hudson’s Comprehensive Chimney Care
If you reside in or around Jacksonville, Florida and own or rent a home with a chimney, Hudson Chimney has all you need for comprehensive chimney care. We offer routine preventative maintenance recommended by both the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). When we find damage—big or small—during a chimney sweep or inspection, we can repair it. We make repairs correctly and we complete them swiftly. When you schedule repairs now, your chimney system will be ready for use when temperatures drop this fall.
When your chimney needs work, don’t trust the amateurs, trust the professionals with appropriate credentials and expertise to get the job done right.
Call Hudson Chimney at 904-282-4159 or contact us online.
