When we’re out repairing a customer’s gas fireplace, logs, or insert, we’re often asked if it’s worth repairing the unit, or if it would be best to just replace the entire thing. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to that question, but here are some factors to consider: The first question to ask your service tech: is…
At Wooden Sun, we offer a wide variety of hearth, chimney, and patio repair services. Here’s a brief, centralized overview of the services we offer, and the appliances we can repair: Chimney Repair This is a broad category, and covers everything from repairing and weatherproofing your chimney crown, to installing single- or multi-flue/full-coverage caps, to…
We’ve posted information about chimney crown repair, chimney swifts, and flue repair in previous entries, but what about the outside of your chimney? The brick or stone forming the surface of your chimney is subject to wear and tear over time, which shows up in a variety of ways: The most common external chimney problem…
Grilling season is once again in full swing, so it’s time to revisit the subject of grill safety and maintenance. Wooden Sun services both gas and charcoal grills, and we recommend having your grill inspected and serviced by a qualified technician once a year. Additionally, there are some simple safety and maintenance tips you can…
In accordance with CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) standards, Wooden Sun highly recommends a Level II (video scan) Sweep & Inspection for all new customers and for customers who are selling their home, have had a chimney fire or if the certified chimney sweep recommends this service. We sometimes have customers ask us why…
It’s nesting season, so that means chimney swifts are back! Chimney swifts often return to the same nesting site every year, so if you had them last year, you’ve probably got them again, cheeping away from inside your chimney. Swift nests are small, and don’t do any damage to the masonry inside your chimney; however,…
Sometimes when we go out to perform repairs on a gas appliance (logs, insert, or fireplace), we can’t get the appliance fixed on our first visit, or we replace a component and discover a new problem. We understand the confusion and frustration that can result from this. Unfortunately, this situation is sometimes unavoidable, for the…
As we discuss on our chimney repair page, an unlined chimney can be very dangerous. Houses built to code since the 1950s have terra cotta tiles or other flue liners, but these degrade over time, or suffer damage from earthquakes, chimney fires, or other extreme conditions. Even minor cracks in flue tiles can allow sparks,…
Every fireplace season, we get calls from homeowners reporting that they can’t get their wood fireplace burning right, or that smoke spills back out into their house when the fire is going. So let’s take a look at what goes into your fireplace system, and what might be interfering with it: Draft is the force…
Following up on our recent post about how to address concerns about wood stove performance, here’s a post about your gas stove/insert/fireplace. Since the direct vent gas appliance is a closed system, drawing air from and venting to the outside, there’s much less variation from home to home and appliance to appliance. However, there are…
