Seasonal chimney, air duct and dryer vent guidance for Lockport and the southwest suburbs.
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. If you have noticed orange-brown streaks running down the siding beneath your chimney, the culprit is almost always a rusting chase cover. It is one of the most common chimney problems we find on…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. Most homeowners never think about the chimney flue their furnace vents into, because nothing about it is visible from inside the house. It is also the part of the system where a quiet, gradual…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. Gas fireplaces have a reputation for needing nothing, and it is half earned. There is no creosote, no ash to shovel and no wood to haul. What there is instead is a sealed combustion…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. People hear “chimney inspection” and picture someone glancing up the flue with a flashlight. That is one small part of one level of inspection, and knowing which level you actually need saves both money…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. Summer storms do more damage to chimneys than winter does, which surprises people. Winter is hard on masonry that is already compromised. Summer is what compromises it. Wind-driven rain, hail and the sheer volume…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. By the middle of August most birds that took up residence in a chimney this spring have finished raising young and moved on. That makes the next several weeks the practical window for dealing…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. For about six weeks a year, windows are open, the central air is off, and the ductwork in your house sits idle. Then the first cold night arrives, the furnace fires, and everything that…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. A dryer vent that was merely dirty in January can become a genuine problem in August, and most people never connect the two. The lint did not suddenly multiply. What changed is the air…
By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers. Every August the phone rings with the same question, worded a dozen different ways: why does the fireplace smell now, in the middle of summer, when nobody has lit a fire since February? It…
A Lockport chimney sweep explains why July beats October for your annual sweep: dirtier flues than you think, cheaper fixes, and a fall rush worth skipping.
