Request An Appointment

Call Us Today

845-567-1217
Red All Seasons Chimney Logo with Chimney, hat, and sweep tool

Over 25 years
of Service

All Seasons Chimney Truck

1083 Little Britain Rd
New Windsor, NY 12553

CALL US NOW 845-567-1217

Company Blog

Do You Have Winter-Related Chimney Damage?

Our area has experienced some harsh winter weather this year, and we at All Seasons Chimney have already been very busy repairing a lot of damage caused by the past several cold months. From water leaks to damaged dampers, liners, and chimney caps to masonry problems, the extreme temperatures of winter can be very destructive to a chimney. You may have even noticed some damage done to your chimney. The spring season is a great time to take care of these repairs, and you do not want to delay fixing winter-related chimney damage. We would like to tell you about some common post-winter chimney repairs and how our certified and experienced chimney technicians can fix these problems.

winter-masonry-chimney-damage-image-poughkeespsie-ny-all-seasons-chimney

LEAKY CHIMNEYS

Causing possibly hundreds to thousands of dollars in chimney damage repair, water leaks are a chimney’s worst enemy. After a cold winter with below-freezing temperatures, we often see leaks caused by spalling. Water leaks from a chimney can be hard to locate, so call All Seasons Chimney to schedule a professional chimney inspection to determine exactly what is causing them. You can see signs of a leaky chimney, which include:

Loose or missing bricks and/or mortar

Cracking and crumbling in the bricks and/or mortar

Rusty stains

Brick discoloration

Water in the fireplace

Damp odors

DAMPER AND CHIMNEY CAP DAMAGE

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the efficiency of these two parts of your chimney is crucial to saving energy and money. Additionally, these two components serve to keep water from penetrating into your chimney. If your damper is stuck open, it is the same thing as leaving a window in your house open. Cold air escapes, bugs get in, the rain pours into your house, etc. If the damper is stuck closed, you cannot start a fire because your flue is closed-off and unable to filter smoke and gases. Similarly, an undamaged chimney cap fitting correctly on the top of your chimney is essential because not only does it also keep rain out of your chimney, but it prevents stray animals from setting up home there.

MASONRY FIREPLACE DAMAGE

These classic chimneys are a bit more elaborate and require different types of maintenance, but All Seasons Chimney specializes in repairing masonry chimneys and is glad to check the following jobs off your repair list:

Crown repair

Your crown is the chimney cap of your masonry chimney and can become cracked during the winter during extremely cold spells.

Repointing/tuckpointing

When the bricks and mortar of your chimney are crumbling and falling apart due to deteriorating joints from spalling and water damage, we can repair (or rebuild, if necessary) your chimney using these techniques.

If you have noticed any of these or other chimney problems from the past winter, contact All Seasons Chimney as soon as possible. We are ready to repair any damage as well as prevent further damage from occurring.

We Clean and Install Boiler Liners

The majority of homes in the United States are heated with either a furnace or boiler, and boilers are commonly seen in the Northeast, including All Season Chimney’s service area. The difference between a furnace and a boiler is that furnaces heat air and distribute this heated air throughout a house via ducts, and boilers heat water and provide either steam of hot water to heat the home. Steam heats a house via pipes to steam radiators, and hot water heats via baseboard radiators or radiant floor systems. If you have an older furnace or boiler, you have a naturally drafting chimney through which the combustion gases exit your home using only their buoyancy combined with the height of the chimney. Many homeowners believe that since there is no fireplace, there is no need for maintaining a chimney of a boiler or furnace. This is not exactly true as these chimneys also need to be taken care of just like the chimney of a fireplace. Our chimney sweeps at All Season Chimney can take care of your boiler’s chimney as we clean and install boiler liners, which are a necessity for boilers’ chimneys. We would like to share some information with you from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to tell you why it is so important to maintain the chimney of your boiler.

clean-install-boiler-liner-image-poughkeepsie-ny-all-seasons-chimney

What will All Seasons Chimney perform during a maintenance check of my boiler’s chimney?

When one of our certified chimney sweeps visits your home, he will do the following maintenance tasks:

Check the condition of the vent connector pipe and chimney.

Over time, parts of the venting system may become damaged or deteriorated. Our sweep will look for any damage or other problems.

Look for any blockages that may be present in your chimney.

If there is a blockages in your chimney, it could lower the heating efficiency of your boiler.

Clean and examine the condition of the liner of your chimney.

Just as the venting system, the liner of your boiler’s chimney can deteriorate over the years. Quite possibly, the chimney may not even have a liner. If the liner is damaged beyond repair or if there is no liner, we can reline the chimney with a lifetime-guaranteed stainless steel liner.

If my boiler system needs to be replaced, does my chimney liner need to be replaced as well?

When you replace your old boiler with a new one with an efficiency rating of 80% or higher, your chimney needs to be prepared to handle the higher risk for deposits of acidic condensation droplets that comes with these heating appliances. All Seasons Chimney can size a new stainless steel liner to fit both your new boiler and the combustion water heater, if present. If a chimney is larger than the heating appliance and/or water heater, you can experience problems with condensation and inadequate draft. We want your new boiler to be as efficient as possible, and installing a custom-sized liner is the best way to get the most out of your new heating appliance.

If you have an old boiler, contact All Seasons Chimney today. We will be happy to clean its chimney liner as well as examine it to see if it needs repairs or replacing.