Ask most homeowners to point to their chimney crown and they’ll point to the wrong thing. They’ll point to the cap (the metal cover over the flue) or to the chimney itself. The crown is the part almost nobody knows by name — which is unfortunate, because it’s one of the most important parts of […]
Read More… from Understanding Chimney Crowns: The Most Overlooked Part of Your Chimney
If you’re heating a home in northeastern Pennsylvania and looking for an efficient, cost-effective way to take the load off your furnace, a stove is one of the best investments you can make. The question most homeowners run into is which kind: a traditional wood-burning stove, or a pellet stove. Both are popular across NEPA […]
Read More… from Pellet Stove vs. Wood Stove: Which Is Right for Your NEPA Home?
Most homeowners think about their chimney in two seasons: late fall, when they’re getting ready to light the first fire of the year, and the dead of winter, when something has gone wrong. There’s a much better window almost nobody uses — and it’s the one that’s actually best for catching problems before they become […]
Read More… from Spring Chimney Inspection: Why After-Winter Is the Best Time to Check for Damage
The fireplace gets more attention between Thanksgiving and New Year’s than during the entire rest of the year combined. Family gatherings, holiday decorating, longer evenings indoors, and colder weather all converge on that one spot in the living room. Stockings go up on the mantel. Garlands drape across it. The Christmas tree usually ends up […]
Read More… from Holiday Fireplace Safety Tips Every Pennsylvania Homeowner Should Know
If you’re deciding between a gas fireplace and a wood-burning fireplace — or thinking about converting one type to the other — maintenance is usually somewhere on your list of considerations. It probably shouldn’t be at the top, but it deserves an honest answer, and the answer is more nuanced than most websites make it […]
Read More… from Gas Fireplace vs. Wood-Burning Fireplace: Which Is Easier to Maintain?
Of all the questions we get asked at Spring Hill Chimney, “do I really need a chimney cap?” might be the one with the most lopsided answer. It’s also one of the most common — usually because a homeowner just discovered their chimney doesn’t have one, or the one they have is rusted out, blown […]
Read More… from The Complete Guide to Chimney Caps: Do You Really Need One?
When you call a chimney service company for an inspection, you’d think you’d be getting more or less the same thing every time. You’re not. There are actually three different standardized levels of chimney inspection — defined by the National Fire Protection Association in NFPA 211 — and they involve very different amounts of work, […]
Read More… from The Difference Between a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Chimney Inspection
There’s a specific feeling on the first cold evening of fall in northeastern Pennsylvania. The air shifts, the light gets shorter, and at some point that week you find yourself thinking: I should probably get a fire going tonight. Before you do, work through this checklist. Most of it takes ten minutes. Some of it […]
Read More… from Your Fall Chimney Checklist: 7 Things to Do Before You Light That First Fire
If you’ve ever stood in your driveway, looked up at your chimney, and noticed the lines between the bricks looking a little ragged — sandy bits crumbling onto the roof shingles, gaps where solid mortar used to be, dark stains running down the brick — you’ve already met the most common chimney repair problem in […]
Read More… from What Is Chimney Repointing and When Do You Need It?
If you’ve lived in NEPA for any length of time, you already know our winters don’t mess around. The snow piles up, the wind comes off the Poconos, and the temperature can swing thirty degrees in a single day. It’s part of what makes living here distinctive — and it’s also exactly why chimneys in […]
Read More… from Why Northeastern Pennsylvania Winters Are Hard on Your Chimney
