The two most common types of 
chimneys here in Jacksonville, Fl, northeast Florida, and southeast Georgia are masonry and pre-fab or prefabricated.  A masonry chimney is constructed of brick or stone (don't be confused by a chimney that has a brick or stone facade).  A pre-fab chimney is a metal pipe that is housed inside a wood box, usually covered with siding or stucco.  Pre-fab chimneys started being used around the 1970's, so if your house is much older than that you probably have a masonry chimney.  You don't have to be a chimney sweep to tell the difference. 

Like every part of your home, chimneys and fireplaces require some maintenance, inspections and occassional repairs - even if in Florida we don't use them as often as the rest of the counrty.  Using a professional chimney sweep is the best way to assure that your chimney has been fixed properly and safely.  See the diagrams  below and read the descriptions of the different chimneys, how the parts work together and some of the maintenance and repairs chimneys require.  When the chimney sweep comes to your chimney sweep appointent you will have working knowledge of your chimney and understanding of any work the chimney sweep does on your chimney, from a simple chimney sweep to more extensive repairs. 

Ash Away Chimney Sweeps want to have the most educated customers they can.  In matters of fire safety they still believe the best way to assure your safety is to have a professional chimney sweep inspect your chimney.  The diagrams and explanations here are to help you know when to call the chimney sweep and to understand the work the chimney sweep is doing.

Pre-Fab Chimneys

A pre-fab chimney begins with the firebox.  This is the box in the fireplace inside your home where you build the fire.  The firebox is where the chimney sweep begins your chimney inspection and where the chimney sweep cleans the chimney from.   Just above the firebox is the chimney's damper.  The damper is like a door between your fireplace and your chimney flue that you open when you have a fire to let the smoke escape and close when you're done to keep the elements out and to keep your heating and air-conditioning in.  It is smart to have a chimney sweep inspect your damper to make sure it is not costing you money.  Above the chimney's damper and on top of the firepace is the chimney's air cooled  flue.  This chimney flue is made of two pipes, one inside the other.  The inner pipe is how the smoke escapes fromthe firebox.  Its the smoke that distributes the soot in this flue and this is what the chimney sweep brushes out  when the chimney sweep cleans your chimney.  You should have your chimney cleaned regularly by a chimney sweep to prevent a fire in your chimney flue.  A fire in the chimney flue can lead to expensive repairs or worse, a house fire.  The outer pipe of the chimney's air cooled flue takes in fresh air from the outside and cools the inner pipe.  It is important to have a professional chimney sweep with knowledge of prefab chimney systems handle your chimney repairs to assure that they know how to keep air flow in this outer chimney flue pipe.  The entire mechanism is housed inside a wood box called the chimney's chase.  The outside of the chimney's chase usually has stucco or siding on it.  On the top of the chimney's chase is the chase pan which functions as a roof for the chase.   The chase pan looks like a cake pan turned upside down with a hole in the center that the chimney's flue goes through.  Some people refer to the chase pan as a chimney's flashing.  Both terms are correct.  On top of the chimney flue is the chimney cap.   The chimney cap protects the flue and keeps the elements out while allowing smoke to escape from the house.  The chimney cap has an animal guard, so you don't get any unwelcomed visitors in your home.  The chimney cap has a spark arrestor on top that keeps embers from landing on your roof or in your foliage.  Some people call the cap a spark arrestor, when actually it is just a part of a chimney cap.  Chimney caps are also sometimes refered to as a termination cap.  All these terms are correct.  Be careful that you have the right kind of chimney cap installed on a pre-fab chimney.   If the outer pipe of teh chimney flue is not able to enough fresh air the inner chimney flue can get too hot and cause a fire.  We recommend you use a professional chimney sweep for these repairs to assure that the installation does not interfere with the air flow.  A common chimney repair for pre-fab chimneys is when the chimney caps and chimney chase pans rust and corrode and then leak water in your home.  This can rust out the chimney flue, making it unsafe, cause wood rot and mold that require expensive repairs.  The best thing is to have a chimney sweep inspect your chimney every year to make sure you don't have rust forming.  If there is rust Ash Away Chimney Sweeps use aluminum and stainless steel chimney caps and chimney chase pans that will not rust so we can give them a lifetime guarantee not to rust or blow off.  Lastly, there is a small vent going from the firebox to outside the chimney chase.  This is the chimney's fresh air return, it fuels the fire with the oxygen it needs to burn and keeps smoke from coming back into the house. Not all pre-fab chimneys have a fresh air return.  Note, some pre-fab chimneys in the older neighborhoods of Jacksonville, FL, NE Florida and SE Georgia do not have a chase and are contained with in your walls and just have a pipe coming out of the roof with a cap on top.  There is no chase pan as there is no chimney chase.  If you have any questions about your pre-fab chimney you can ask a chimney sweep from Ash Away Chimney Sweeps and we'll be happy to answer your questions. 

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Masonry Chimneys

A masonry chimney begins with the fire box.  This is the box in the fireplace inside your home where you build a fire.  The firebox is where the chimney sweep begins the chimney inspection and where the chimney sweep cleans the chimney from.  Just above the fire box is the chimney's damper.  The damper is like a door between your fireplace and your chimney flue that you open when you have a fire to let the smoke escape and close when you're done to keep out the elements and to keep in your heating and air-conditioning.  It is smart to have a chimney sweep inspect your damper to make sure it is not costing you money.  Just above the damper and above the fireplace is the chimney's smoke chamber and the chimney's smoke shelf.   The smoke is pulled into the smoke chamber by the natural draw of the chimney from the fire box where it rolls against the smoke shelf, gains momentum and increases the chimney's draw.  Then the smoke travels up the chimney flue.  The chimney flue is the pipe that goes from the firebox to the top of the chimney and it is the path the smoke takes to exit the house.  Its the smoke that distributes the soot in the chimney  flue and this is what the chimney sweep brushes out when you have your chimney cleaned.  You should have your chimney cleaned once a year by a chimney sweep to prevent fires in the chimney flue.  A chimney fire in the flue can lead to expensive repairs or worse, a house fire.  The chimney flue is built of brick and lined with large terra cotta flue tiles.  These tiles keep the smoke and heat from seeping through the porous brick mortar and into your walls.  If your chimney is missing these flue tiles, and several older chimneys are, then it is recommended that you not burn in your fireplace until you have the chimney relined.  A chimney sweep will be able to tell if you need a reline during a regular chimney inspection.  Although we have several older masonry chimneys in the Jacksonville, FL, NE Florida and SE Georgia area our chimney sweeps check everyone we go to and a reline is still very rare.   The chimney flue is topped with a chimney cap.  The chimney cap protects the flue and keeps the elements out.  The chimney cap has an animal guard, so you don't get any unwelcomed visitors in your home.  The chimney cap has a spark arrestor on top that keeps embers from landing on your roof or in your foliage.  Some people call the chimney cap a spark arrestor, when actually it is just a part of the cap.  The chimney cap is also sometimes referred to as termination cap.  Both terms are correct.  A very common chimney repair for masonry chimneys is the chimney cap has rusted or worse has blown away leaving the top of your chimney exposed.  Then water is able to freely pour down the chimney when it rains erroding the mortar causing a dangerous situation.  The best thing is to have a chimney sweep inspect your chimney once a year to make sure your chimney cap is in good shape.  On the top exterior of the chimney is a crown is built up to the chimney cap.  The chimney's crown is made out of a type of mortar and it's purpose is to keep water from sitting on the brick and to guide water down and away from the chimney cap and the chimney flue opening.  A watertight crown is vital to the maintenance of your masonry chimney.   If you have any questions about your masonry chimney you can ask a chimney sweep from Ash Away Chimney Sweeps and we'll be happy to answer your questions.

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