Everything You Need to Know About Chimneys

Whether you have a wood burning stove, furnace, or fireplace, there's no way it can function without a chimney. Your chimney is essentially the engine that drives your wood heating system, the heat being the fuel. The more fuel you give the engine, the more powerful it becomes and when you compare that to how fireplaces work, the more heat, the greater the draft.

For the record, draft is good.

Draft is what prevents smoke from entering your home while the wood heating system is burning. Aside from giving your system more fuel to create a draft, having an insulated chimney liner can also help in achieving the same thing. Insulated chimney liners keep the exhaust being expelled hot until it reaches the outside - this process increases the draft.

What Constitutes a "Good" Chimney?

• It's the proper chimney for the appliance you're connecting it to. There are many different chimney options out there, and some may not be suitable for your installation.
• It's the correct size for your given appliance.
• It's in a proper location.
• It's properly installed to fit your building code or the manufacturer's directions.

What Does a Chimney Do?

• Makes lighting fires easy as the draft builds up faster.
• They prevent smoke from entering your home.
• There's no smoke that comes out when you open the door to tend to the fire.
• There are no odors while the system isn't lit.

If you're looking in investing in a chimney for your home's wood burning system, be open to taking advice from professional chimney sweeps and contractors. They'll be able to better inform you of what you need to make sure your fires are burning safely. Unless you've installed your own chimney and chimney liner kit before, we recommend having professionals do it because you don't want to be lying awake at night wondering if your family is at risk from improper installation.