How to Avoid Chimney Fires

A chimney is a stack of bricks and mortar so common sense dictates that it shouldn't ever catch fire. However there are more than 25,000 chimney fires in the USA each year. These fires happen because a fire produces soot which clings to the brickwork and builds up in layers. These sooty layers of carbon can ignite and cause a major house fire. The results can of course be tragic.

The simplest way to avoid a house fire is to clean your chimney. A sweep with a proper chimney brush at least once a year is absolutely necessary.

There are other ways to help minimise carbon build up too. The first is to ensure you only burn hardwoods rather than softwoods. These have too much oily tar in them which easily sticks to the bricks and is less easily removable by brushing.

Secondly avoid wet wood. This lowers the temperature of your fire. The hotter the fire, the more likely that sooty particulates will be whooshed straight up the chimney and out into the air without being able to settle on the chimney interior. Because a hot fireplace and flue is good for avoiding chimney fires, contractors these days will often inset a new insulated flue when installing a woodstove to keep the flue hot and thereby discourage carbon build up.

Finally you should never burn plastics or any man made materials other than those expressly designed for use in a fireplace. If you keep these tips in mind you can be assured of a safe fireplace for many years to come.

Find out more about wood burning stoves and all about heating your home the natural way.

Inspecting Your Chimney and Its Liners

If you have a chimney, when was the last time you replaced your liner? If that question stumps you, then it might be time to investigate the situation a little and probably even consider having your chimney inspected. You may be due for a new liner.

Although chimneys are designed to withstand nearly anything, it would seem, the truth is they aren’t quit as indestructible as we might think they are. The liners in particular could easily lose their former stability and be a factor in a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning by permitting the escape of gases and/or burning embers.

If you do, indeed, find that you need to have new liners installed, there are a number of different options open to you. The fireplaces of today are not the fireplaces of old – which is a good thing for homeowners. The fireplaces of today are not necessarily simply made of brick. Many are made of a variety of more supple materials. This allows you to replace the liners without essentially rebuilding the entire chimney.

But first, of course you will need to find out if you actually need a new liner. To do that it is best to have your chimney inspected by someone who knows what they’re looking for. And where would you go for such a service? Well, to a chimney sweep. Though many may have the idea that chimney sweeps don’t actually exist anymore, the truth is they are as popular as ever. As more and more homeowners are putting fireplaces into their homes, the business of chimney sweeping as become an important element in making sure we keep our homes safe. A chimney sweep will install, clean and maintain your chimney so as to keep it in working order and safe to use.

One of the chimney sweep’s main jobs is to look for potential fire hazards, as well as blockages in your chimney. This is especially important for those who have a gas fireplace. If a homeowner with a gas fireplace has blockage in their chimney, the fumes can easily build up inside the home. A chimney sweep may do an initial inspection of your chimney, and then depending on what they find, they may suggest a more in-depth inspection.

Although there are chimney sweeps who do this type of inspection for a living, you should keep in mind in most localities there is no government oversight or industry regulators. In addition to asking friends and neighbors for suggestions of someone they trust, you might also call your local fire department or even the appropriate local government office to see what they recommend.

This article on chimney liners and fireplaces was brought to you by FireplaceBasics.com. Fireplace Basics covers every fireplace-related topic under the sun. Come visit us and see for yourself!

Why Sweep a Chimney?

Chimneys are swept to remove residues in the chimney which can block the flue and prevent proper drafting, and to remove flammable deposits which can cause a chimney fire. All types of appliances which burn fuel and vent to the outdoors should be inspected annually and swept when needed such as:

Chimneys that need annual inspection

Fireplaces that burn wood or gas

Chimneys serving wood stoves

Water heater flues & furnace flues

Vented gas hearth products: gas fireplaces, gas freestanding stoves, gas logs & gas inserts

WOOD BURNING FIREPLACES & WOOD STOVES

Wood smoke occurs because not all the chemicals in wood can be burned by your fireplace or wood stove. Smoke contains tiny, unburned but flammable solid particles which adhere to the walls of your chimney which are called creosote. As these deposits accumulate, a stray spark from your fire can ignite them causing a chimney fire.

Chimneys and connector pipes (such as the black pipe connecting a wood stove to the chimney) are designed as a passageway for smoke which passes through at relatively low temperatures they are not built to withstand chimney fires, which can burn in excess of 2000 degrees. A chimney fire can destroy the mortar in a masonry chimney which can cause a chimney to collapse or allow the fire to spread to the framing members of your home. Sometimes a first chimney fire will "only" crack the flue tile liners. This situation is dangerous because a subsequent chimney fire now has an easy pathway to the walls of your house, allowing for massively destructive and dangerous house fires. When you have been advised that your flue tiles are cracked, it is time to take action and have the chimney repaired!

PREFABRICATED FIREPLACES

Pre-fab fireplaces are a particular concern to chimney sweeps. Although highly regulated and safety tested in the lab, too often we find hidden dangers due to improper installation. Installation defects such as improper clearances, improperly connected pipe and substitute components combined with overfiring and general deterioration can lead to home fires. A prefabricated fireplace system that has suffered a chimney fire should never be reused and should always be replaced according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

FURNACE FLUES & WATER HEATER FLUES

Furnaces that use oil or gas also produce dangerous byproducts. First, the fumes that are being vented are generally more dangerous than wood smoke because they contain higher levels of carbon monoxide than wood smoke. Leaky connector pipes, improper flue sizing and other chimney problems such as cracked flue tiles, oversized flues or undersized flues and structural defects or deterioration can all lead to fumes entering your home. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen and cannot be detected by the human nose.

Visible soot in the house is one indication of a problem with your furnace and it's venting system. Visible soot means you need to call your furnace repair company, but also your chimney sweep! Your chimney exists to carry fumes and soot away from the living space, so even a faulty furnace should send soot up the chimney. Sooty walls may indicate a problem with the furnace, but this ALWAYS indicates a problem with the venting!

Oil soot is particularly nasty to deal with. It is harder to remove and we use specialized equipment to deal with it. Soot from gas furnaces and water heaters is less likely, but an annual inspection can help identify problems and correct them before a small problem becomes hazardous.

Annual cleaning and inspections are very important to the safe and efficient operation of your home's central heating system. The chimney sweeping process averages one to two hours.

*Article reprinted with permission of Victorian Fireplace Shop

Karen Duke is a fireplace, chimney and hearth industry expert of over 25 years in both the retail and service sectors. She is a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and has numerous hearth industry certifications. She is the founder and webmaster of http://www.TheFireplaceChannel.com and she is the co-founder and webmaster of http://www.TheVictorianFireplace.com, which is one of the largest online fireplace retailers in the world. She makes her home in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Karen's contact information can be found on either of the above sites.

Chimney Drafting Problems and Solutions

No two fireplaces are alike when it comes to smoking chimneys. There are many factors as to why a chimney doesn't draft properly and your home gets filled with smoke. Chimney height. Every chimney should abide by the 10ft - 2ft rule. Under normal conditions your chimney should work fine if this rule is met but there are always exceptions. Measure out 10ft horizontally from your chimney to the nearest object (roof line, peak, room addition etc), once you have the 10ft mark go vertically 2ft up and that should be the height of your chimney. See diagram.Your chimney should be at the proper height with the stack high enough to catch the wind. Your chimney doesn't have to rise above the peak unless the peak is within the 10ft clearance. As the wind blows across your homes roof line it should create an updraft bringing the smoke with it. Sometimes a negative pressure situation might occur where the wind causes a downdraft and you may have to look at raising the height of your chimney. Recently some new products have arrived on the market to help ease the cost of raising a chimney. Flue extenders are a chimney cap that is raised up to 3ft with long sheet metal sides.

They come in stainless steel or copper and have proven to solve many drafting problems.They a relatively inexpensive compared to having a brick mason come out and raise the flue tiles.Another great product are chimney pots. These have been used in Europe for centuries and were usually made of clay. A new line of chimney pots are made out of copper. The copper chimney pots are expensive but the unique design and the beauty are very pleasing to look at. Copper ages to a beautiful verdigris green after it is exposed to the outdoor elements and will give your home great Curb Appeal. If you have a metal zero clearance fireplace you will have to get the manufacturers name and the model number off a plate inside the firebox to determine which size and brand pipe you will need to purchase to raise the chimney another 1 - 3ft. Some cities require that the pipe be enclosed in a chase and you might have to rebuild the chase up to the new height. While raising the height of your chimney will solve most of the problems some chimneys may need more help.

Other great products on the market for solving drafting problems are the Vacu-Stack and the Windbeater chimney caps.These chimney caps are designed to create an updraft as the wind blows. The cap itself stays stationary and this causes the wind to circulate creating the updraft. This solution works well with masonry, metal chimneys and even the solid pack chimney pipe for wood burning stoves. They come in several sizes and adaptors are available for masonry chimneys. The picture at the right shows a Vacu-Stack with the adaptor installed on a masonry chimney. With a metal chimney no adaptor is needed. If you have a air cooled chimney pipe one where there are 2 or 3 pipes inside each other just measure the inner one for the cap. The Vacu-Stack for the air cooled, double or triple wall pipe comes with a collar to cover the outer pipes. The Vacu-Stack and the Windbeater caps also come in smaller sizes to fit furnace and hot water tanks to solve their drafting problems.

This article is continued at The Log Rack

http://www.thelograck.com

Have Your Chimney Inspected By A Certified Chimney Sweep Before Buying

Over the years that I have been a Chimney Sweep, I have seen a lot of problems with new homeowners that have had their chimney and fireplace checked by a Home Inspector, only to find out that the chimney should not or could not be used; most are very disappointed, and some are downright mad. Some buyers bought the house with the fireplace being the main "focal point". Do not get me wrong, I am not bashing the Home Inspectors but, most are not trained to see the problems that a Certified Chimney Sweep can see. CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) Chimney Sweeps, have to pass a Certification test (given every three years) that covers three National Code books:

The CSIA Test covers NFPA-211 (National Fire Protection Association), the Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances. NFPA-31, covers the Standard for the Installation of Oil-Burning Equipment. NFPA-54, covers the National Fuel Gas Code. It is a closed book test that is given by a representative of the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

There is not a law that requires a Chimney Sweep to be Certified but, it goes a long way with Insurance Companies when you find a problem with a Chimney or have to repair a chimney. A Certified Chimney Sweep knows what to look for inside and outside of your home. That being said, all problems can not be seen without doing demolition or creating access areas to view the chimney.

Some Chimney Sweep companies have Chim-scans that enable a camera to run through the inside of the chimney allowing the customer full view. The monitor is set up on the hearth of the fireplace and the camera can be raised or lowered, so the customer and the sweep can see the problem areas. Most Chim-Scans have the capability to be recorded and/or have snap shots made of the areas in question. Do expect to be charged extra for the chimney scanning; but, it is a worthwhile investment to show problems found to the insurance company or the previous homeowner, so further action can be taken.

Have your chimney cleaned and evaluated annually and always have your chimney evaluated before you close on the home so you neither have to pay for something you have bought but cannot use nor must pay out of your pocket later when you decide to sell...and, as the seller, before the new homeowner has the chimney inspected himself and finds your problem. Remember: a chimney is a very large selling point for the simple reason of the heating advantages that it extends to the buyer.

Joe Honea is a Chimney Sweep who lives in South Carolina. He is married to an Italian girl and they have three sons; two are in the military, and one works in automotive collision repair. They have two protective German Shepherd pups that share their home and they have also recently opened an online chimney supply store. http://www.Fireplaceandchimneysupplies.com my blog is http://www.garagedoordr.blogspot.com

Firewood and Chimney Safety

Burn Only Seasoned Wood

Seasoned wood usually contains 20 - 25% moisture content, while unseasoned wood can have up to 45% water content. Seasoned firewood is easier to start and produces more heat. In order to make sure that you are purchasing seasoned wood, buy it in the summer 6 months before you plan to use it. Green wood or unseasoned wood must dry out before it will burn properly. Burning green wood can cause smoking problems, odor problems, creosote buildup and possibly dangerous chimney fires.

How to recognize seasoned wood when you see it

With a bit of practice you can learn to recognize seasoned wood when you see it. One sign is that the bark has loosened its hold, or has already been knocked off with handling. Also, the log ends have darkened, dried out and started to crack.

A well seasoned firelog will be lighter in weight than an unseasoned or green piece of the same size and species. When it really is well seasoned, expect to pay more. Cutting trees down, transporting, handling and working up wood is a risky, labor-intensive pursuit. The more times a supplier has to handle it, and the longer he ties up space storing it, the more he will charge.

Storing Firewood

Store wood off the ground in a location away from the house because termites will be looking for it. You can easily make a place to hold the wood by placing two 2x4s or 2x6s parallel to eachother on the ground. Stack wood across these boards, then cover with a tarp to protect it from the elements.

Buying Firewood

Firewood is generally sold by volume, the most common measure being the cord. A standard cord of firewood is 128 cubic feet of wood, measured as a stacked pile of wood 8 feet long by 4 feet tall by 4 feet deep.

Although firewood is usually sold by volume, heat production is dependent on weight. Pound for pound, all wood has approximately the same BTU content, but a cord of seasoned hardwood weighs about twice as much as the same volume of softwood because it is denser. It contains almost twice as much potential heat and this means that you will have to load your fireplace less often if you purchase hardwood, but it is certainly find to use soft woods. Mixed wood (soft & hard wood) by the cord or 1/2 cord is a good buy. Use the softwood to get the fire started and then add the hardwood for a nice long burn.

Never burn any construction scraps of treated or painted wood, especially treated wood from decks or landscaping ties. The chemicals used can release dangerous amounts of arsenic and other toxic compounds into your house. Never burn plastic because it releases toxic chemicals. Never burn large amounts of paper (use your shredder). As for Christmas trees, I know it's tempting but don't do It!

For more information on chimney and fireplace safety, please visit Chimney Sweep & Dryer Vent Cleaning

The Importance Of A Chimney Sweep

For those that use their chimney only on the rare occasion, consider the following facts:

• Regardless if the fireplace has been used, a chimney sweep checks for structural damage due to age and settling of the home as well as damage to brick & mortar due to rain, animals, debris and fire; This is the importance of having your chimney evaluated annually!
• A fire is burned for heat & comfort as well as for ambiance. Sometimes we lose track of the actual amount of fires which have been burned.
• If you are among the "casual burners" who seldom have a fire, it is very necessary as well as important to keep a record of how often a fire is burned and the type of fire; was it a small fire or raging hot?
• The average person burns 1 cord of wood or approximately 15 fires per burning season during a normal winter season.

If the "seldom user" burns only 2 fires in a season, and has not had their chimney cleaned in a 5 year period, this accumulated risk becomes a total of 10 fires burned per week; an estimated full year's burning season.

Please keep a list of fires burned so as not to put your family at risk for a chimney fire and/or structural damage to your chimney. Many a customer will say:

"I clean it myself" or "I had a friend clean it"

"I do not think it's necessary" or "I will call you when I think it's necessary"

"I have only had 3 fires this year, so I do not think it needs to be cleaned!"

Little do they know that there is a LOT more to chimney sweeping than removing ashes.

A chimney sweep is trained to look for stress cracks in the flue liners, the 3 stages of creosote & signs of a chimney fire, broken mortar joints, weakened areas within the brick, footing, smoke chamber, and firebox, water damage and the general overall safety of the chimney itself.

• A chimney sweep is trained in National Gas & Fire Codes, according to NFPA-211 to provide their customers with the best care, safety & prevention methods available.
• A chimney is a heat source in times of power outage; do not be caught without it from neglect!

My husband has owned our Chimney Sweep business in SC for the past 27 years. In this trade we have both seen just about anything & everything you can imagine in the way of builders, troubled and distressed chimneys, the devastation wrought by the horrors of fire and those saved only by the Grace of God. Please do not put your family, your home, and possibly your neighbor's home, in jeopardy by neglecting one of the most important assets in your home; please be sure to have your chimney evaluated and/or cleaned by a certified chimney sweep, annually! Please look for my next article on the topic of the types of fireplace systems.

Pamela Honea is a mother of two, a sweep's apprentice and the wife of a chimney sweep. Among her many creative abilities of woodworking, she and her husband Joe enjoy writing articles and creating websites about their business http://www.Fireplaceandchimneysupplies.com and http://www.garagedoordr.blogspot.com and videos and blogs about their German Shepherd Dogs Mia and Bella http://www.germanshepherddogsdig-pamela.blogspot.com

How to Measure For a Chimney Cap

I have always said the hardest part of installing a chimney cap is getting out the ladder and you have to do it twice. Once you get the energy to get the ladder out and get up on the roof the rest is simple. The first climb on the roof is to measure for the chimney cap. Remember to take a tape measure, paper and pencil with you! There's nothing like getting down and forgetting if it was the big line or little line you were looking at on the tape measure. Write it down while you're up there, then measure it again. Measure twice buy once! Below is a list of chimney caps and the measurements needed for them.

Single flue chimney with the clay tile raised from the crown is the most common. The best chimney cap will be an outside fit with 4 simple pressure screws. Measure the INSIDE of the flue tile length and width. Chimney caps are available in black galvanized, stainless steel and copper. Black Galvanized Stock sizes

Multi-Flue chimney cap is designed to cover several flues at one time. If the flue tiles are more than 6 inches apart you can use single flue chimney caps for each one. Using a multi-flue chimney cap tends to give your chimney a cleaner look with only one cap covering all the flues. Measuring for multiple flue chimney caps can be a little more difficult especially if the flue tiles are offset. Using the diagram below you will need to measure the widest point for all 4 sides, sometimes the flues are not set square to each other.

Continue Article Measure for Chimney Cap

Fireplace, Wood Stove and Chimney Safety

Here in the Pacific Northwest where many people burn wood for heat there are many scary and unsafe chimneys and wood burning appliances. I would like to believe that just about anyone could guess that a chimney and wood stove or fireplace will, eventually, require cleaning, maintenance and service. That advice applies to masonry and the assorted metal chimneys.

I want to believe that people can figure this out, but that obviously is not the situation. Recently I was witness to a neglected masonry chimney. The black, oozing creosote was an inch thick and caked inside from the top clear down to the homemade, and inefficient, wood stove below. The system was cranking nothing but waste products up the chimney. Creosote is flammable, so it is important to clean and maintain a chimney.

It seems that most people with wood stoves, fireplaces and pellet stoves do not pay enough attention to them. Lots of people make the situation worse by burning green wood that is not seasoned. The average consumer might take these basic systems for granted but they are dangerous to life, limb and property if they are neglected. As a home inspector, who does not work on chimneys or wood burning appliances but sees many of them, I know that it is important to have such devices cleaned and serviced by a specialist on a regular basis. In fact the National Fire Protection Association has stated that a Level 2 chimney inspection should be part of every sale or transfer of property. The scope of this inspection is intrusive, well beyond any inspection done by a home inspector, and is performed by a trained and licensed chimney professional.

Steven L. Smith, owner of King of the House Home Inspections, is a licensed structural pest inspector and a certified home inspector in Bellingham WA. Smith is the program coordinator for the college level home inspection training program at Bellingham Technical College. To contact Steven Smith, please call 360-676-6908 or his Email address is steve@kingofthehouse.com

How To Make Money As A Chimney Sweep

While the demand for chimney sweeps has dropped over the last century, there is still a significant market for the service. Anyone who has a wood stove, or fireplace that gets used for actual warmth generation has a regulatory requirement to get the carbon and creosote cleared from their chimney at least once every other year, as it's a fire hazard otherwise.

What this means to you is that there's a definite demand, and that the demand must be met, giving you a shot at a second income, or even a job to replace the one you've got. Chimney sweeps perform a specialized task; you'll need to apprentice under a current chimney sweep, which can take some time to find one willing to teach you. Once you've done that, you can take on clients of your own and do the work – typical fees for a chimney sweep are about £60 or £120 or so for a basic service that has to be done once a year. On the job, sweeping a chimney takes about two hours, tops, and can be much less than that.

Now, to run your own business, you need a bit of business savvy, and some common sense. The business savvy comes from advertising. You'll need to let people know you're offering the service; this can be done as simply as going door to door in the late summer and early fall, which is when most folks have their chimneys swept. However, it's probably more efficient to take out an advertisement in the local telephone directory; the odds that someone has a chimney and doesn't have a telephone are pretty slim in this day and age. Similarly, running advertisements in the local newspaper, or in the local weekly alternative paper is probably worth doing.

The common sense, sadly, is less common than the business savvy. You need to be prompt, professional and tidy. While chimney-sweeping is a dirty job, there's no need to go tracking soot across someone's floor or rug. You're making a professional appointment – be timely; show up when you're supposed to. If you are unavoidably delayed, do have the courtesy to call ahead and let your client know.

All that said, there are some other factors to consider. First, you'll need to buy some specialized equipment; it's not terribly expensive, generally a few hundred pounds, but it is a capital investment in the business. Still, with a bit of pluck and some hard work, you'll soon be sweeping in the money on a part time job where you don't have to answer to someone else. That in itself is often a significant benefit!

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Don't Hurry Down The Chimney With A Vacuum In Tow

If your lady love is waiting for her Santa Baby to hurry down the chimney, you had best not disappoint! Unfortunately, if you show up with the wrong gift in hand, you might find the temperatures at the bottom are colder than expected. Or worse, she might light the fire to "break your fall!"

Guys being guys are not always blessed with the best gift giving skills in the world. Sure, some of us are real Casanovas. This type of guy can make even Santa look like a clod, wrapping up just the right ring or necklace; bringing flowers at the perfect times and so on. The rest of us sit on the sidelines in wonderment.

Many of us, carrying that unusually strong practical gene that must come from caveman days or something, often think we have found the "perfect gift," because she can use it! Think again, fellas. Practicality and presents do not go together.

I am not a gift giving natural, but I have learned a thing or two along the way. There are some things to watch out for on the present buying front. This advice goes out to all of you guys who are not Casanovas by nature. My personal list of the Top 5 worst gifts to buy a lady (honed with hard hitting, first hand experience) includes:

Vacuums and cleaning appliances.

If it means "work" for her or even you, do NOT buy it. Even if you really, really need it, get it the day after the holidays. Do not hurry down the chimney with a vacuum in tow. You might just find out how flexible those hoses really are!

Kitchen items.

Unless she is a five-star chef who has personally asked you for a $500 hand mixer, do not buy things for the kitchen. Here and again it means "work" and this could mean a very blue Christmas for you!

Flannel anything.

Even if it is really cold and the nightshirt looks really warm and comfy, do not do it! She will think you think she is frumpy, dumpy or old. If clothing is on your list, think sexy, youthful or fun. Better yet, get her a gift certificate and pick out something else to wrap up!

Romantic gifts!

They are a wonderful idea, but if they only serve your purposes, think again. Consider items she would enjoy. Think romantic music CDs, a cord of firewood and a bottle of champagne, sensual massage oils. Do not think a striper costume and wrap it up with her name on it! (Maybe for her birthday, but not the holidays!)

Anything impersonal and/or generic.

If you would give it to a client or a perfect stranger, DO NOT BUY IT for her! While a chocolate and teddy bear gift basket is ideal for her, a fruit basket with a card filled out by a stranger will earn you a night on the couch. The same goes for anything that can be picked up at a convenience store.

Finding the perfect gift for a lady requires a little planning and preparation. If all else fails, ask her friends for advice, but whatever you do, do not buy any of the Top 5 things to avoid as the "big" or "only" gift during the holidays.

Randy Gardner is Romeo-Your Romance Resource and is the exclusive writer for Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations. Visit Ask Romeo Blog to read more of Romeo’s articles about dating, romance, relationships and romantic and holiday gifts.

To find that perfect unique romantic gift for that special someone, go to Got To Have It Romantic Gift Creations Christmas Gifts

Chimney Crowns - A Hat For Your Chimney?

It has been said that if you go out into the rain without your hat on your head will get wet! Pretty simple idea isn't it...but you know what? As simple as it is, it is true.

Like a hat for your head a chimney crown is a hat for your chimney. The chimney crown is designed to shed rain water from the top of the chimney which keeps it from entering the chimney shell helping to keep the chimney shell dry. Let's take a look at the different types of masonry crowns used widely today...ok?

Cement Wash - This is the most widely used crown for chimneys today. A cement grout is troweled to the top of the finished chimney masonry and sloped upwards to the chimney flue liner to assist in water run off.

There are literally millions of these crowns in existence today and they work very well initially. This crown is the easiest and cheapest to install but tend to be the first to crack and fail. Durability is usually from 1 - 5 years.

Concrete Crown - Cast in place concrete crown are used less than the cement wash crowns but still seen frequently. This crown is installed by building a form over the top of the finished masonry of the chimney and filling it with concrete. Sometimes steel can be added for further durability. It too, is slightly tapered to shed water and usually extends approximately 1" - 11/2" beyond the side of the masonry to form a drip edge.

More expensive than the cement crown wash, the cast in place concrete crown can last very long depending on the quality of the concrete, the design and installation. Durability is usually from 20 - 30 years.

Cut Stone Crown - This is the most durable crown available in the world today. A piece of local stone, generally limestone is designed, cut and set on top of the finish chimney masonry to act as a crown. All of the oldest masonry chimneys in the world today will have cut stone crowns.

The stone is cut to 11/2" - 4" thick depending on the architectural requirements. The length and width of the finished chimney are measured and an additional 3" - 4" is added to the cut stone to allow for a drip edge. Some of these stone crowns can get massive, weight several thousand pounds and may require a crane to set in place.

However when done properly these beautiful pieces can add a decorative architectural statement. As you may imagine, stone crowns are the most expensive to construct due to the knowledgeable labor needed to measure and fabricate and the necessary equipment needed to install. However they will last for hundreds of years.

The simple chimney crown can be humble or grand, depending on the whims and wishes of architects and building owners but regardless of how they look, the function of the crown remains the same. Like a hat keeps your head dry, a chimney crown keeps the masonry on your chimney dry and should not be neglected.

Michael Olding is tradesman and consultant in the field of restorations and repairs and currently operates a restoration and repair business in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is also a Master in the field of masonry construction, restorations and repairs.

In addition he is a writer and speaker as well as a marketing, training and business consultant for the contracting industry. If you interested in his services he may be contacted by visiting http://www.cincihomepro.com