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Chimney Sweep in Ovilla, TX 75154
Chimney Cleaning 101: Everything You Need to Know About Chimney and Fireplaces for your Home or Business in Ovilla, TX
If you have a chimney or fireplace in your home or business in Ovilla, TX, or are considering installing one, there is much you need to know. An improperly maintained chimney or fireplace can be extremely dangerous to those who live or work on your property. If you are unfamiliar with the ventilation system in your building and don’t know the first thing about how to clean a chimney, consider contacting a professional chimney sweep in Ovilla, TX, or the greater Dallas County area, such as the staff at Masters Services. However, you should still learn as much as you can to protect yourself as well as your family or employees. Here is some essential information that everyone with a fireplace or chimney should know.
Chimney and Fireplace Vocabulary
To start, you should be familiar with the components of a fireplace and the connecting chimney. Firstly, the box-like chamber where the fire sits is called the hearth. The hearth is constructed differently depending on if the fireplace is a traditional wood-burning fireplace, or a gas or electric one. The hearth should be lined with panels designed to direct heat back into the room and prevent any fire from escaping to another part of the building. Most fireplaces have glass doors to prevent sparks from flying out as well. Connecting the hearth to the chimney is the smoke chamber, which can be closed off by the fireplace damper. The smoke chamber is intended to direct smoke up into the chimney flue, while the damper is a small door that can close off the smoke chamber from the fireplace. The damper opens to allow smoke and ash to exit the fireplace and closes to prevent cold air from coming into the building through the chimney when the fireplace is not in use. The chimney flue is the tube-like space through which smoke travels to exit the building. The flue, like the hearth, is lined with panels that protect the rest of the property from dangerous fires. Finally, the chimney cap is a cover placed over the chimney on the outside of the building to prevent wind, rain, leaves, and wildlife from entering the flue.
How Chimneys and Fireplaces are Cleaned
Cleaning out the fireplace hearth and chimney flue is a complicated and messy process, which is why you should consider contacting a professional if you have a fireplace at your Dallas County property for chimney cleaning services. To clean out a fireplace and chimney, first you need to remove the logs and the grate (the metal frame upon which the logs sit). This is so you can sweep out ash and other debris from the floor of the hearth. Next you will need to scrub the floor and lining of the hearth with a thistle brush and a cleaning solution. You can either buy a solution at a home improvement store or make your own. You will also need the solution to clean the lining of the smoke chamber and the chimney flue. You can clean out the chimney flue using a flue brush. Finally, it is necessary to occasionally go up to the roof of the building and clean off the chimney cap and other exterior portions of the chimney. This is a lengthy process and if you are not 100% confident you are capable, you should invest in professional chimney cleaning.
Safety Concerns
The most important thing when it comes to fireplace and chimney maintenance is safety, both yours and that of the people around you. An inefficient or dirty fireplace can cause dangerous chimney fires that can spread to the rest of your home. Cracked panels in the lining will not be able to properly confine the heat of the fire to the chimney flue itself. Other broken or missing pieces of the fireplace can lead to the same results. An uncleaned flue can be dangerous as well; over time, ash and soot will build up inside the chimney and form a highly combustible substance called creosote. Furthermore, there are several safety concerns you should be aware of while cleaning your chimney or fireplace. You should wear gloves, goggles, and a mask to protect your eyes from ash and debris and prevent yourself from inhaling these substances. If you are cleaning the chimney cap, you need to be careful walking across the roof of the building. These safety concerns are another reason to consider hiring a Dallas County professional – the experience and expertise of the chimney sweeps at Masters Services will protect all those involved.
Installations and Replacements
Some chimney sweeps and businesses that offer chimney cleaning will also offer installation and replacement services for the entire fireplace and chimney or individual components. If you don’t have a fireplace in your home but are interested in one, it will be good to talk to someone who can manage an installation and help you learn about fireplace maintenance. You will need to learn about replacements that need to happen regularly; for example, if there are cracks in the lining of your hearth big enough for you to fit a dime, it is time for the lining to be replaced. Look for a professional who can replace individual components of a fireplace, such as the panels, doors, damper, flue lining, or chimney cap.
Certifications
If you have decided to hire a professional or are even considering becoming a certified chimney sweep yourself, you should know about the different certifications and qualifications that are out there. If you are looking at a company or business, you should look for approvals from Better Business Bureau® and Home Advisor. Both organizations promote consumer trust by pre-screening and certifying business so potential clients know who they can trust. Individuals can carry certifications as well as businesses, such as the Master Chimney Sweep Professional Certification. If you want to know more about a businesses or professional’s certifications or qualifications, don’t hesitate to ask!
If you have decided to contact a professional for chimney cleaning services in Ovilla, TX, consider calling Masters Services at 972-877-4650. We are a local business staffed with knowledgeable professionals who also put our clients’ safety first!
Some information about Ovilla, TX
Ovilla is a city in Dallas and Ellis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 3,492 at the 2010 census.
Ovilla, on upper Red Oak Creek in northern Ellis County, is the oldest town in the county. It began in 1844 as a fortified settlement known as McNamara’s to repel Indian incursions. James McNamara arrived in 1843 with his new wife, Joanna (Hale) McNamara as the first Peters Colony settlers of this area for which they received 640 acres that made up the beginning of the locale that was later to be called ‘Shiloh’ for a nearby creek and a newly formed church. The McNamaras arrived with other Peters colonists: the Billingsleys; Mrs. McNamara’s family, the McCommas’s; and James Sterrett (Mrs. McNamara’s brother-in-law, who established Sterrett, Texas). The marriage of James Sterrett to Clarinda (Hale) Squires of 7 Jul 1844 was the first marriage to be performed here within the future boundaries of Ellis County, which was still within old Robertson County at the time. James McNamara served as sergeant in Smith’s Company of Texas Mounted Volunteers during the War with Mexico in 1846-1847 along with his brother-in-law, James Sterrett. The little village grew as other Peters Colony settlers arrived in the area to attend brush arbor meetings of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which was started by Rev. Finis E. King in 1847. James McNamara died in New Orleans 5 May 1852, and his widow liquified his assets and left Texas for the gold fields in Tuolumne County, California, with all of her remaining maternal family members.
The church met in a brush arbor until 1853, when a log cabin, which served as both church and schoolhouse, was built. A frame church building was finished in 1872; in 1984, about 190 members still met in the structure, which had been enlarged and remodeled. The church was instrumental in moving Trinity University to Waxahachie in 1902 and in establishing a girls’ school in the nearby town of Milford.
Although Ovilla was a thriving farming community by the 1850s, it remained unnamed. Mrs. M. M. Molloy, wife of Rev. D. G. Molloy, formed the name from the Spanish word villa. Ovilla continued to grow, and by the early 1900s, had a post office, a bank, a cotton gin, a pharmacy, a blacksmith shop, and several dry-goods stores. Its post office closed in 1906. Fires in 1918 and 1926 destroyed most of the downtown buildings, and this destruction, together with the fact that Ovilla was bypassed by railroads and major highways, led to a decline in growth.
Useful links for Ovilla, TX
Directions from Ovilla, TX to Masters Services
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