The Chimney Swift Ltd.

aluminum liners

john — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:33:13 +0000

Aluminum liners, while legal for use with gas appliances, may experience several problems. They are not durable and can corrode (or be chewed) easily. The photo shows a hole in the raincap, likely chewed by a squirrel. There was a bird nest in this flue. The photo also shows that the liner is in direct contact with the concrete crown. This will prematurely corrode aluminum. The picture also shows that the mortar crown has deteriorated and there is an open hole into the chimney, where there was a squirrel nest. We replaced this liner with stainless steel.

hole in liner

Are you ready for Christmas?

john — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:04:22 +0000

Have you had your chimney swept yet? The last thing you want on Christmas Day is a chimney fire. Guaranteed to put a damper on your festivities!

Call today to arrange an appointment or to arrange a gift certificate for a loved one.

I hope it's clean!

Don't let a blocked flue leave you in the cold!

john — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:32:37 +0000

Because you enjoy the ambience and heat from wood burning, avoid surprises that might interfere with that enjoyment. Have the chimney swept now.

restoration of the week

john — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:51:28 +0000

This weeks featured restoration is a chimney which was deteriorated sufficiently at the top to allow squirrels to enter the chimney structure. Squirrels can be incredibly destructive little creatures. This homeowner was very fortunate because he addressed the situation very quickly, before to

o much damage was done. The squirrels did chew a hole right at the top of the aluminum flue liner (note that they would be unable to chew through a stainless steel liner). There was enough stretch left in the liner that we were able cut off the damaged portion and stretch the liner to the required length. The homeowner was also fortunate that the squirrels did not go down the liner and get into the basement through the draft hood on the furnace. Then there would have been damage to the house and furnishings!

Chimney Restoration of the week

john — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:13:28 +0000

This chimney services both a wood-burning fireplace and a gas furnace and water heater. The damage, as shown in the photo) was caused by two things.

I- the gas flue is lined with clay tile, which is not water-tight. Moisture venting up the flue is able to escape into the masonry structure and freeze/thaw cycles throughout the winter will damage the brick and mortar joints.

2 - The mortar used when the chimney was originally built is portland cement based and is too hard. It will not compress, and therefore the brick itself must give during expansion and contraction cycles with occur as the chimney heats up and cools down.

We rebuilt the chimney from the roof up and installed a stainless steel liner in the gas flue to contain the moisture from the gas appliances.

Beat the September rush!

john — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:08:00 +0000

Have your chimney swept before Labour Day and SAVE!

Save $10 by having your chimney swept before September 3, 2011.

Call now and beat the fall rush.

Restoration of the week

john — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:58:35 +0000

This chimney services a wood-burning fireplace. When the flue was last swept, it was discovered that the seventh flue tile from the top was badly cracked. This is fourteen feet down from the top. In order to comply with Ontario Building Code requirements, the chimney had to be taken down as far as the damaged tile and then rebuilt. Two other cracked tiles were discovered during the dismantling phase.

It is sometimes a challenge to find matching brick, but I think we did a pretty good job with the match on this chimney.

Historical chimney restoration

john — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:20:39 +0000

We recently completed two chimney restorations with a historical look. Three chimneys on one house and two chimneys on a second house .

In the first case, the homeowner provided a photo from the early 1900's and asked us to replicate as closely as possible. It was a challenging project, first to try to interpret from a grainy photo and then re-create a chimney which would have the right appearance and as well, have the structural integrity to last for many years. I believe that we were successful.

The second restoration was on a much newer home. The chimneys were originally built with a stepped out, stepped back in corbelling at the top. We modified the design by only stepping out the corbelling, then installing a concrete drip cap and crown for long-term durability.

Save $10 by having your chimney swept in spring

admint — Thu, 12 May 2011 16:23:59 +0000

waterstain gas

If you have burned wood since our last visit, it may be time to have your chimney swept.
Save $10 by having your chimney swept in Spring.

Have you looked at your chimney lately?
Does your chimney have . . .

Cracked or broken flue tiles ?
Animals or birds entering the flue ?
Bricks or mortar that are missing ?
White or dark stains on the outside of the chimney ?

Have small repairs done now, before they become major problems $$$.

: racoon

: holes in chimney

broken tile

Annual Sweeping Program Has Started

admint — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:48:04 +0000

If your system requires an annual sweeping, (and it does if you burn wood three times a week through the burning season)

Join the Annual Sweeping Program and we will freeze the price of sweeping your system for three years!

The Annual Sweeping Program reduces your cost and helps even out our seasonal workload. Because people tend to leave things to the last minute, the months of September through December are so busy, we are not always able to schedule your appointment for when it is most convenient for you.

Here's how the Annual Sweeping Program works.

The sweeping must be done between April 1st and August 30^thto qualify for the three year price freeze.