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All Seasons Chimney Truck

1083 Little Britain Rd
New Windsor, NY 12553

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Company Blog

Hire a Certified Sweep for the Job

One of your most important home maintenance responsibilities is scheduling a professional chimney sweeping and inspection appointment at least once a year. These annual services are essential to ensure that your chimney and fireplace system will work efficiently and safely throughout the coldest months of the year, so you want to Understanding CSIA Certification - Poughkeepsie NY - All Seasonshire the best qualified professional chimney sweep for the job. Finding the right chimney professional for your home may seem challenging, especially if you have recently moved to a new place. Unfortunately, scam artists commonly advertise bargain-priced deals for annual professional chimney maintenance services. Although it may seem like you are making a smart money-saving decision, you could end up with extensive and expensive chimney damage that lead to dangerous safety hazards if you choose to hire someone who has not been trained and certified by industry professionals such as the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) [https://www.csia.org/certification.html]. For over 25 years, All Seasons Chimney has provided professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation services to the Hudson Valley region, and our team is proud to hold CSIA certifications as chimney sweeps and dryer vent technicians. We would like to tell you more about why we value this professional credential so highly and why you should only hire a CSIA-certified chimney sweep to take care of your annual chimney maintenance responsibilities.

The CSIA is nationally recognized as the leading expert on chimney safety issues.

Whenever Good Morning America, the New York Times, Dateline NBC, Consumer Reports, and other national, regional, and local publications and media need a trusted source for accurate information about chimney safety, they go to the CSIA. Over the past three decades, the non-profit industry leader has worked with countless news and media organizations of every size across the country to promote its mission of preventing chimney fires, carbon monoxide leaks, and other emergencies that involve chimney and venting systems. Our team at All Seasons Chimney is proud to help the CSIA with its commitment to chimney safety by partnering with local news media to help to educate the public about using their chimney and fireplace systems as safely and efficiently as possible.

The CSIA provides chimney professionals with a wide variety of continuing educational opportunities.

After a chimney sweep goes through the initial certification process of taking a two-part exam on the CSIA Chimney and Venting Essentials (2019), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 211 (2019), and the International Residential Code (IRC) (2015), the chimney professional must renew this credential every three years. The CSIA offers a variety of renewal options, such as taking an in-person or online review and exam, obtaining 48 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) over the three-year certification period, and combining the exam with nine CEUs. The CSIA has partnered with the National Fireplace Institute (NFI) to approve courses that can be considered for CEU credits, and the certification renewal committees review and assess these courses based on five areas of focus, which include technical, codes and standards, health and safety, and communication and liability. Our team at All Seasons Chimney enjoys keeping up with the latest technologies and trends in chimney and venting system practices through our continuing educational work because it helps us to best serve our customers with the newest and most innovative products and services in the chimney industry.

The CSIA Code of Ethics protects you as a customer.

When a chimney professional takes the CSIA certification exam or renews this credential, he or she must also sign a stringent ethical code to pledge to uphold certain responsibilities and obligations. Our CSIA-certified professionals at All Seasons Chimney are held to higher standards of performance and professional behaviors, which means you are guaranteed to always be treated in a fair and honest matter by our chimney sweeps. This pledge also includes agreeing to stay up to date with the latest in chimney safety practices and to comply with all local building safety codes as well as with the manufacturer’s installation instructions for every appliance installed. Your safety is our number one priority, which is why we take the CSIA Code of Ethics very seriously. We promise to conduct ourselves in a decent, respectful, and professional manner at all times when we are providing our chimney services in your home.

Since 1983, the CSIA has provided the professional chimney sweep certification credential to homeowners as a way to measure the technical expertise of chimney professionals, and you should always look for this credential when you are hiring a professional chimney sweep. If you live in the Hudson Valley region, All Seasons Chimney is here for all of your professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation needs. Contact us today to schedule your appointment for your annual chimney sweep and inspection with one of our CSIA-certified professionals.

How to Burn the Best Fires

As we head into the coldest time of the year here in the Hudson Valley, it is important to know how to get the most your fireplace to keep your family as cozy and warm as possible this winter. For over 25 years, All Seasons Chimney has provided the region with superior professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation services, and one of our top priorities is teaching our customers how to operate their fireplaces as safely and efficiently as possible. Our team of professionals is certified by industry leaders, such as the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and the National Fireplace Institute (NFI), and during our training and certification courses, we have learned the best practices for just about every aspect of chimney and fireplace systems. This includes how to increase the heating efficiency in your home by burning longer, cleaner, and hotter fires. We would like to take this opportunity to share with you some wood burning tips that will help you maximize your fireplace this winter.

fire in fireplaceOnly burn seasoned firewood.

When wood is freshly cut, it can have a moisture content as high as 45 percent. Wet, or green, wood can be difficult to ignite, and when you do finally get a fire going with it, the fire must use up most of its energy-burning off the water before it can produce any heat. This results in an overproduction of smoke, corrosive vapors, and creosote, and this creates deadly hazards, such as chimney fires and carbon monoxide leaks. To avoid these risks, All Seasons Chimney recommends that you only burn seasoned firewood in your fireplace. This type of firewood has been allowed to dry for at least six months after being cut. If you do not cut your own firewood, you can find seasoned firewood at reputable dealers. According to the CSIA, properly seasoned firewood is lightweight, grayish in color, and be cracked and split on the ends. If you knock two pieces of wood together, you should hear a hollow sound if the wood has been seasoned. Green wood would make a dull thudding sound. You can also use a digital moisture meter to make sure that the firewood is only 20 to 25 percent water. Once you have purchased your firewood supply, it is important to store it off the ground so that it does not reabsorb any moisture. We recommend you place your firewood on pallets, concrete blocks, or gravel if you do not have a storage shed.

Use the upside-down method to build a top-down burn.

If you struggle to get a fire going, it might have to do with the method you used to build it. Many of us learned how to build a fire using the log cabin style, where the kindling is placed at the very bottom, but the leading experts at the CSIA have found that a better method of building a fire is to do the exact opposite and put the kindling at the top. Known as the top-down method, this technique has been used for centuries to build fires in the large masonry heaters across Europe. You will begin by placing your largest pieces of firewood across the bottom of your fireplace or stove and then continue layering about four or five rows of logs on top of that first layer. Make sure that each row is made up of smaller logs than the last row. Once you have the wood stacked to about half of the height of the fireplace, you should start to layer your kindling on top of the stack of logs. Be careful not to stack your kindling higher than the fireplace opening. You will then light the very top of your kindling with a single match, and as it burns, it will keep igniting the wood below. This “light it and you’re done” procedure allows you to relax and enjoy the fire with your family and friends instead of worrying about adjusting logs in the fireplace to keep the flames going.

Have your chimney professionally swept and inspected at least once a year.

When you burn wood, creosote develops naturally during the combustion process and builds up on the interior walls of your chimney over the winter. Although you can greatly reduce the amount of creosote that is produced by only using seasoned firewood when using your fireplace, your chimney needs to be professionally swept every year. The CSIA has named creosote as a leading cause of chimney fires because it is highly flammable. When All Seasons Chimney sweeps your chimney, we take great care to remove every bit of creosote to reduce the risk of chimney fires. You can trust our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps to make sure that your fireplace is safe to use every winter.

Have you had your chimney professionally swept and inspected this year? Contact us today at All Seasons Chimney to schedule your appointment for our professional chimney maintenance services. We are here for all of your professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation needs.