Fireplace Information Blog

For generations, the fireplace has been the staple in many homes - especially around the holidays. Back in the day, the fireplace, or even just a simple fire pit, had a sense of community and safety around it, which still carries through today. The fireplace is that one part of the home where you all gather around and enjoy each other's company - of course, the kitchen is also good for that, but does anyone really talk while they're essentially inhaling the holiday feast? Probably not.

The warmth and comfort delivered by a wood burning stove is a comfort for many. Napoleon Wood Burning Stoves are the gold standard when it comes to bringing this technology into the 21^st century.

Napoleon Wood Burning Stoves – The Story

Founded in 1976 in Ontario, Canada, Napoleon designed their first wood burning stove and quickly became a leader in the market space, eventually branching out into gas stoves and other fireplace products.

Types of Napoleon Stoves

There are a number of types of napoleon wood burning stoves for heating your home. Beyond the obvious heating features supplied by the stove, many are equipped with a reliable cook top surface, ideal for those times when power failure is an issue.

There are models to match any décor, both with steel legs or pedestal styles. There are numerous door options and finishes to help match your style.

Napoleon stoves are ideal for heating homes from 1,500 to 3,500 square feet with ease, taking the bite out of a cold winter night.

There are also a number of complementary products such as chimney liners and clay chimney pots to enhance the operation of your wood burning stove.

Napoleon Stoves are Proven Environmentally Friendly

Exceeding all standards set out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Napoleon stoves set the bar when it comes to efficient and safe wood burning products, consistently producing low emissions. This clean burn helps keep our environment safe.

Industry-Leading Technology

Napoleon wood burning stoves have taken the id

One byproduct of wood burning fireplaces and stoves is the creation of a chemical compound called creosote. A fireplace or stove with even a modest accumulation of creosote can result in a highly dangerous chimney fire, which can burn at around 2,000 degrees, seriously endangering your home and any occupants.

Exactly What is Creosote?

Any wood burning fire produces byproducts of combustion, in short, the residue that is left over when the wood burns. Some of these include seemingly innocuous smoke water vapor, particles of wood and assorted minerals or other substances found in the wood.

The chimney is there to help expel these from the house, but what happens is that when these flow up the (relatively) cool chimney, and condensation rears its head and a residue is produced that will cling to the chimney walls. This is known as creosote.

Creosote is seen as a shiny black or brown substance, sometimes flaky, but can be tar-like. Creosote is highly combustible, and when present in sufficient quantities creosote can lead to disastrous chimney fires. Creosote buildup is usually the result of incomplete combustion of the wood.

Sooty creosote is the most easily handled. When it appears in a hard, glazed tar-like version it can be most dangerous and requires professional help to make your chimney safe to use again.

Health Problems Related to Creosote Exposure

There are a number of legitimate health concerns when it comes to the inhalation of creosote. Some known maladies attributed to  creosote exposure include:

-Skin

There is very little that is more disconcerting than noticing that your house is beginning to fill with smoke, and you have no idea why. What began as a roaring fire designed to keep you warm, has taken on a more ominous face. After securing your loved ones, your quest to find out what went wrong begins. Upon careful investigation, you come to the conclusion that your chimney damper isn’t operating efficiently. The good news is that this can be easily corrected.

What is a Chimney Damper?

You need to understand the role of a chimney damper to understand what it is supposed to do and how to help make that happen. Many confuse the chimney damper with the flue, when in fact the damper is a part of the flue. The flue is the air shaft that enables air to circulate both in and out of your chimney. The chimney damper is very much like a lid above the firebox that regulates the flow of air in and out of your home through the chimney.

When your Fireplace is in Use

When you have a roaring fire in your fireplace, the chimney damper must remain open to allow smoke to exit the chimney. An inadvertently closed chimney damper (especially at night when the fire is usually unattended) could lead to instances of smoke inhalation, which is a serious medical issue. An open chimney damper will vent the smoke outdoors easily and thus prevent any discomfort or danger while keeping warmth within.

When Your Fireplace is Not in Use

When you don’t have a fire going, the chimney damper still plays a role. If you happen to notice air circulating, or a change in temperature, such as on a very cold night, you may want to ensure that

Winter is a time for scarves, warm boots, and toasty gloves. So making sure that your chimney is properly insulated makes sense right?

If you are preparing your home for the wonders that are a home winter fire, then taking the time to check your fireplace for proper insulation will not only guarantee a warm winter fire but also provide you with the confidence you deserve when burning an open fire.

Protect your Home and Your Passion for Fire

Your home's first defense in an unwanted disaster is the chimney liner. Liners are not just for decoration; they serve a real purpose. They are used to redirect unwanted fumes, smoke, and potential hazardous gas from your home into the open environment. Never underestimate the importance of routine checks when it comes to your chimney liner.

Types of Chimney Liner Insulation

To get started, you have to know what kind of liner you have. There are three basic types of chimney liners on the market.

• Metal Flue Liner-  comes in many shapes and sizes, making it one of the most popular choices in chimney liners.
• Cast-In-Place Liner- Think of your road construction guys pouring concrete. That's what makes up this type of coating. Pouring a concrete type substance within a form, creating an insulation barrier.
• Clay Tile Liner – old fashioned and built to last, these puppies are a dying breed. But if you do have one, the chances are that normal wear and tear will need to be addressed every so often.

Have a Professional Check Your Liner Insulation

Now that we know what type of liner you have installed checking each type for po

Old man winter is just around the corner. Is your fireplace ready to get to work? If you own a fireplace and want to make sure your home gets the most out of the heat output, you must make sure your fireplace is properly prepped.

Inspect your Fireplace

The first step in any fire is to prep the area and make sure it is safe. Sweep the chimney out, check your chimney chase cover, update your fire alarms, and take the time to thoroughly go through your fireplace before winter. This will give you the best fire and maintain a safe environment.

Use a Chimney Sweep

Never underestimate the power of a broom. Well, in this case, a professional chimney sweeper, but you get the idea. Did you know that the National Fire Protection Association advises you have your chimney swept once a year? How long has it been since you've had a good cleaning?

Check Your Chimney Chase Cover

If you have a chimney then you probably have a stack chase cover. You know, those metal box looking things sitting on top of your chimney stack. Chimney chase covers serve to protect your home from back draft, preventing unwanted smoke and potential gas fumes from billowing back into your home. Signs that you need a new chimney chase cover include rusted portions, areas of pooling water, missing mortar or other parts not name a few.

Inspect your Chimney Liner

Once you've checked the inside and out, it's time to pay a little more close attention to your chimney liner. Chimney liners are an important part of fireplace safety. These little guys keep combustibles safe and provide optimum air flow efficiency. The Chimney Safety Institute o

Just like with any aspect of your home, chimney caps offer you a chance to express yourself.  The outside of your house can be just as beautiful as the inside with the right maintenance and the right choices, and just because your chimney cap is a functional and useful part of your house doesn’t mean that it can’t be stylish as well.  Coordinating the colors and styles of your roofing, chimney, chimney accessories, window accents, and more design aspects that go into decorating the outside of your home is exciting.  Here are some suggestions as to what your chimney cap can say about your home.

Traditional

If your home has a chimney to begin with, consider yourself lucky that you live in traditional enough a home that it has a fireplace.  The image of a family gathering around the fireplace is one that is all but disappearing, and if you’re lucky enough to still have one, flaunt it!  To go with your traditional fireplace, consider a traditional chimney cap, like one made out of clay, simple in design, that signifies the classicism of your home even from the outside.

Modern

Chic, modern homes can also have the benefit of a fireplace, albeit in a more sleek, refined way.  As with traditional design, modern design seems to be rooted in values like minimalism and simplicity.  However, modern design tends to have a more industrial bent, like you aren’t quite sure what the structure is used for.  This ambiguity is appealing, whether we are

As with any product, there are a wide variety of chimney liners on the market to choose from.  They have different uses and different strengths, and proper research should be done before deciding exactly what kind is right for you.  Just to brush up on your chimney knowledge a little, we want to note that a chimney liner is also known as a flue liner, and it is generally used to contain the combustion that occurs inside of your chimney, protecting the chimney itself from wear and corrosion.  It’s an added safety measure for your chimney and is extremely important in the proper maintenance of your chimney.  The different materials that liners are made of have different benefits, which we will outline below.

Clay Liners

A clay flue liner is the most common to see in a typical American home.  Clay is popular due to its easy availability, inexpensiveness, and classicism.  However, clay may not be doing exactly the job you expect it to.  A flue liner’s main function is to protect the sides of the chimney itself, preventing future needed maintenance.  Clay tiles are not very good at redistributing the heat in the chimney when a fire begins, meaning that those very clay tiles that you were trying to protect begin to shatter when met with extreme heat.  Though clay is inexpensive, you may end up paying for that decision later on in the form of chimney maintenance.

Cast-In-Place Liners

Cast-In-Place chimney line

Proper maintenance of your fireplace is incredibly important.  The best way to prevent needing constant maintenance is by investing in the right accessories from the offset.  Not only can chimney caps be a fun way to express your design preferences, but they have several technical benefits to ensure that your fireplace is long-lasting and free of damage.  Here, we’re going to outline a couple of the reasons why investing in a chimney cap is so beneficial for the health of your fireplace.

Prevents Blockages

Keeping your chimney clear is very important for the safe and proper escape of air from your fireplace.  If there is a blockage that prevents air from escaping, that air has to go somewhere, and the only place for it to go is into the rest of your home.  A smokey house is not a pleasant house, and blockages like debris build up or a small animal choosing to make your chimney into its new home can really create some issues.  A chimney cap will prevent unwanted access to your chimney, as well as allow for the escape of smoke and debris when necessary.

Less Moisture

If you have the luxury of your own fireplace, you most likely know that dry wood and dry conditions in general are ideal for creating a roaring fire.  This means that you want as little moisture in your firebox and chimney as possible, which can be difficult if you have a chimney without a cap.  Just like how the rest of your roof is susceptible to harsh weather condition

We advise everybody to invest in a chimney liner, but does it matter what type?  Yes!  As with any product, the better and more reliable the material is the better, and there are certainly varying degrees to which you can count on a chimney liner to do its job depending on what material yours is made of.  Stainless steel is heralded as a strong, stain-resistant material, and its benefits certainly extend to your chimney liner.

What is a Chimney Liner?

A chimney liner, or flue lining, is a lining for your chimney that aids in the filtering out of particulates, as well as serving to protect the sides of your chimney from heat and corrosion.  Not only is having a chimney liner highly recommended, but a lot of fire safety codes actually mandate that you use a chimney liner.

Why Stainless Steel?

Though chimney liners can come in a variety of materials, such as clay, ceramic, or metal, stainless steel is going to be your best bet for a durable, long-lasting, and effective chimney liner.  Other chimney lining materials are going to work just fine, but the strong chemical bonds present in stainless steel makes it resistant to change from the heat of your fireplace.  In order for a chemical reaction to happen between any number of substances, heat is usually a main element of catalyzing a reaction.  Because the molecules of stainless steel are so solid and tightly packed, they are more resistant to heat, and thus more durable, than other substances.