Orange County
(714) 342-7415 or (949) 466-9316
Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Dana Point, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine, La Habra, La Palma, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Los Alamitos, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Orange, Placentia, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster, Yorba Linda
Riverside County
(951) 258-4904
Alta Loma, Chino, Chino Hills, Corona, Etiwanda, Fontana, Mira Loma, Montclair, Norco, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Rubidoux, Upland
Long Beach
(562) 453-8867
Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Azusa,Baldwin Park, Bell, Bell Gardens, Bellflower, Carson, Cerritos, Claremont, Compton, Covina, Culver, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte, El Monte, Gardena, Glendora, Hawaiian Gardens,Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Park, Industry, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, lomita, Long Beach, Lynwood, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rosemead, San Dimas, Santa Fe Springs, Signal Hill, South El Monte, South Gate, Temple, Torrance, Walnut, West Covina , Whittier
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Chimney Repairs
/in Chimney Repair, Fireplace Safety /by writerWe recently completed some chimney repair jobs and below are the before and afters.
Is your fireplace safe?
/in Chimney Sweeping, Fireplace Cleaning, Fireplace Safety, Smoking Fireplaces /by writerMost people seem to think their fireplaces are safe, even though they have not had them cleaned or inspected for years, or even decades. This may not be the case. Over 15,000 home fires a year in the U.S. are attributed to fireplaces and chimneys.
I did a random survey of properties where we cleaned or inspected the chimney and fireplace during a 5 day period last October.
Our recommendations are that if you have a masonry fireplace that is over 25 years old, it is probably a good idea to get the chimney inspected with a video inspection as there is about a 25% chance that you have cracks in the flue which are a fire hazard.
Even if you have been getting your chimney swept regularly, if the chimney sweep has not done a video inspection of the flue, you might still have a fire hazard. Last fall, Rachael Ray (TV Host) had her house burn down because of cracks in the flue, even though she was getting the chimneys swept regularly.
Many sweeps only do a visual inspection or at most use a hand held mirror. These techniques are only effective in very short chimneys. We used to charge extra for video inspections but now include those with all inspections or cleanings.
It is also recommended that all fireplaces/chimneys be inspected when a home is being sold. If you are a buyer, you don’t want to find out that the fireplace or chimney needs major repair work after you close escrow.
All properties with Rampart General Precast fireplaces (built from the 1960’s to mid 1990’s need to be inspected as they are prone to cracking in the fireplace and the flue. If you can see long vertical cracking on the outside of these fireplaces, get the cracks repaired immediately before the damage becomes more extensive, as sometimes the only repair is to tear down the chimney.
Chimney fire burned Rachael Ray’s home
/in Fireplace Cleaning, Fireplace Safety, Smoking Fireplaces /by writerA home belonging to celebrity cook Rachael Ray was reportedly on fire in upstate New York. Images showed the flames shooting through the roof of the home.
Fire crews were battling flames at the home in Lake Luzerne, N.Y., as the Warren County Sheriff’s Office told ABC10 the residence belonged to the television personality.
Two weeks after a devastating fire nearly gutted Rachael Ray’s home, officials finally have released a cause. The Aug. 9 blaze at her manse began inside a fireplace chimney, state officials revealed on Friday.
40 Year old home with 3 cracked chimney flues
/in Chimney Cracks, Chimney Flue, Chimney Repair /by writerThis is a video of a home in San Juan Capistrano that is approximately 40 years old. All 3 chimneys had severe cracks and gaps in the chimney flue. This is a severe fire hazard if the fireplaces are used to burn wood or gas fires. If you are purchasing a home that was built over 20 years ago, don’t take a chance that the chimney will not have gaps.
Approximately 40% of the homes that were built in the 1980s and earlier have cracks and gaps within the chimney flues. Regular home inspectors do not inspect the chimneys with a video camera and as a result most of the cracks are not detected. Approximately 15,000 homes per year in the U.S. have home fires which start in the fireplace/chimney.
Gas log fireplace
/in Gas Logs /by writerHere is a Gas log set we recently installed in a fireplace.