Custom Caps and Shrouds
Chimney Mischief offers the following pre fab caps and shroud options:
- Standard Chimney
- Step-out Chimney
- Step-out Double Cone
- Full Coverage Chimney
- Radius Chimney
- Radius Single Cone Chimney
Fireplace Repair Atlanta
At Chimney Mischief we do a lot of fireplace repair. Although we serve all of metro Atlanta on a daily basis, we are located intown and a large number of the calls and referrals we get are from intown homeowners with older homes. It is only natural that they have fireplaces that may need some repair.
The firebox often needs minor repairs (or very often re-repair of improper work) ranging from pointing between firebrick, fixing loose firebrick, replacing some or all of the firebrick, and removing and enlarging the firebox for wood or a new gas burning feature. Repairing the floor of the firebox or removing the floor and adding a new one is also common, as this the area of highest heat and therefore highest safety concern. We have various special heat resistant materials that must be used and applied correctly in the firebox area. Chimney Mischief is the premiere Atlanta fireplace repair company.
Right above the firebox (with the throat damper-see below) is the somewhat pyramid shaped smoke chamber, the most critical part of the fireplace for proper draft. They come in an infinite number of shapes and sizes. As a brick mason myself for 25 years it is easy for me to see the skill level of the mason that originally built a particular fireplace just by viewing the smoke chamber, as it requires by far the most skill to complete correctly. Because of limited access, repairs in this area when necessary can be difficult. The standard of a smoke chamber being at least 2 bricks thick (8”) has always been the case, and almost all masons followed this rule, so major safety issues in smoke chambers are rare. As I stated previously most issues involve the draft.
A smoke chamber does not need to be parged (stucco on the inside of a surface) with cement in order to be safe. There are many chimney/fireplace companies that try to sell this coating as a necessity, and almost every time I have been called in to inspect for another opinion I would honestly say it follows their pattern of over selling. If you are building a fireplace, a parge coat is a great feature to have in the smoke chamber to facilitate draft and make the fireplace easier to clean, if an existing smoke chamber is built correctly (8 inches thick) and not damaged there is no additional measure of safety provided by parging. The fact that the smoke chamber is normally completely enclosed behind walls makes complete inspection inside and out impossible unless a home is under going a major renovation.
If there is a throat damper it will be at the top of the firebox where the smoke chamber starts. Years ago there were many different damper companies and designs. Not all were adequate for the job, and their placement and design many times would be a determining factor in how well the fireplace worked, although the inexperienced person would likely never figure this out. Repairs or modifications if diagnosed and performed correctly can make a definite difference.
At the top of the smoke chamber begins the chimney stack, which starts below and finishes above the roofline. Homes built before about 1930 may have just the stack of brick (one or two bricks thick) or stone (not surprisingly mostly granite in the Atlanta area). Terra cotta flue liners were developed in the late 20’s to go inside the chimney stack and provide an extra measure of safety for one brick thick chimneys which is the vast majority. The part of the chimney above the roofline is exposed to weathering (freeze/thaw cycle) on all four sides and the top (called the chimney crown). This area is often in need of repair. A mason’s skill level also comes strongly in to play here, as well as the quality of the chimney material and mortar mix. Trust us for all of your fireplace repair needs in Atlanta, GA. A chimney can need repair as soon as a year after it is built. If a mason properly takes into account all of the variables, a chimney should last 100 years, and I have seen some existing 70-80 year old chimneys in remarkable shape. Advanced waterproofing materials when properly applied by a professional can radically extend the life of a chimney that otherwise may need major repairs sooner. Those found at home improvement stores are much less effective and weaker to hit a price point.
Deterioration at the chimney crown at some point is inevitable. As the most exposed area even the best cement based crowns will at some point need some work. If it is major, masonry material will have to be removed and re-applied. If it is still in good shape but starting to show signs of wear than a coating is a good investment. There are many different coatings for the chimney crown and I have tried them all. All acrylic base coatings will eventually fail, often before the normal 10 year warranty. Atlanta fireplace repair is our business and we take it very seriously. Crownguard by Firesafe Industries is the best, and with proper application will last forever. One only needs to get within 10 feet of an open can to know this is some serious stuff.
Repairs to the inside of the chimney stack ( either with or without an existing terra cotta liner) will be discussed under chimney lining.
Vented Gas Logs
We install and/or repair gas starters in wood burning fireplaces and also take great pride in knowing that if you choose to use your fireplace with gas logs, we can provide you with a final product no other company can. For example, the heart of any gas log installation is the glowing ember bed. Our ember beds always contain at least three different variations of embers and an option for a fourth. No gas log manufacturer includes more than one type of ember in the box with their product. This is part of our commitment to provide the best service and best final product possible.
Gas logs and their related products become more popular every year. The vented gas logs we are most familiar with have remained basically unchanged since their invention in the 1950’s. Improvements in flame distribution, log appearance and ember bed quality have helped to drive the industry forward. I have seen every type of vented gas logs available and we have been installing them since 1983. Real Fyre gas logs from RHpeterson company was my choice back then, and it is still the only product we install today. They were established in 1949, and if you have ever been to the Biltmore mansion in North Carolina those 5 foot long log sets you see there in the massive ornate fireplaces are made by Peterson. All of the logs and pieces in their sets start out as real pieces of wood from which molds are made. All of the resulting logs are then painted by hand in several overlays to make them the most realistic available.The EPA has identified wood burning fireplaces as emitters of particulate matter in the form of unburned combustibles as well as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide (the global warming culprit) and methane. Certain jurisdictions west of the Mississippi have already banned would burning fireplaces in new construction homes. I was invited to participate in a round of conference calls in the summer of 2010 between the EPA and the fireplace industry as they look for ways to improve the emissions of masonry fireplaces in a meaningful way or have them face serious consequences. As a former employee of the Department of Interior with a degree in Parks Recreation and Conservation, and over 30 years in the fireplace industry as a business owner, I certainly am sympathetic to both sides of this issue. Gas logs have a useful role in providing a reduced emission substitute for wood burning.
The heart of any gas log installation is the glowing ember bed. Every manufacturer includes only one kind of ember with their log set.
At Chimney Mischief we go even farther by searching out and offering additional types of embers not readily available in the marketplace. If you choose to use your fireplace with gas logs, we can provide a product no other company can. We always use 3 different types and colors of embers all with different characteristics of flicker and glow. We also have an option for a fourth. The fourth is a product well known to most gas log companies called Platinum Bright Embers, an ember material made out of ceramic wool and actually coated with real platinum. When used as an overlay over regular embers, they combust fuel at much lower temperatures. The result is less unburned gas (more complete combustion) so less pollutants go up the chimney in a process similar to that of a catalytic converter (which also uses platinum) on a car. Another by product is a significant increase in radiant heat output that is easy to feel, a great way to get more heat from your gas log fireplace! Finally the embers also burn twice as bright as regular embers creating superior aesthetics. Truly a win-win-win product we highly recommend and well worth the small additional cost. I will say that proper preparation and placement is essential and most installations we see that are not ours have not taken the time to properly install the embers to their full effect.
It is not unusual to find gas logs installed without regard to the National Fuel Gas Code, or without regard to the manufacturer’s own instructions, thereby voiding the warranty. All of our gas line installations meet code, and we can bring existing installations up to code if necessary.
We only use the finest gas logs available that can be found at http://www.realfyre.com/gas-fireplace-products/vented-collection/
Vent Free / Ventless Gas Logs
At Chimney Mischief we have been selling and installing vent free gas logs (also known ventless gas logs or unvented gas logs) since they were widely introduced in the 1990’s. They bear very little resemblance to their vented counterparts in the way they operate or in how they can be made to look more aesthetically pleasing. The main difference is the burner, and with vent free logs it must be designed to burn the natural gas or propane almost perfectly, like a gas stove in the kitchen with burners that have a blue flame which is an indication of the close to perfect burn.
Unvented gas logs are really nothing more than a gas heater (space heater) built in such a way as to allow the placement of concrete or ceramic fiber logs to wrap around it, and thereby to look appropriate in a fireplace. They don’t need a fireplace to operate properly like vented logs, again referring to the space heater concept as a space heater could almost go anywhere in a home.
Unvented gas log sets must be set up exactly as specified in the instructions, no exceptions ever. Failure to do so could lead to some level of contamination of the indoor living space, depending on the total volume of indoor air available and the types of products in that area. Burning one cubic foot of natural gas requires 10 cubic feet of air (oxygen and nitrogen) and produces 2 cubic feet of water vapor, one cubic foot of carbon dioxide (both greenhouse gases) as well as the flame you see and the heat you feel. Each living space consisting of paint, carpet, furniture, stored products for home maintenance, etc. is unique and will react differently.
Through a process called outgassing different chemicals in the form of gases can be released from the products in the living space. The requirement is that enough air (makeup air) be available to reduce or eliminate the outgassing or dilute it to acceptable levels. What is acceptable is the center point of the entire issue of the safety or usability of unvented gas logs, for example at present they cannot be installed in homes in New York or California. Some people, especially smokers will almost never have a problem with unvented logs, while those with respiratory conditions or sensitivities have a higher level of incompatibility. There is the largest group of people where the outcome is unknown and for this reason we at Chimney Mischief like to view the space where they will be installed and talk to the homeowner and this usually leads to a prudent discussion about the plausibility of having an unvented log set. This process has allowed for mostly but not all successful installations. There is a 2 week trial period where the product can be returned for credit but the labor for installing the log set will not be refunded.
Rhpeterson company makes a very wide range of unvented log sets, some with the much desired glowing ember bed of a vented log set, and though nowhere near as large as its vented cousin it makes quite a difference. Their logs for these sets are also quite attractive in comparison with what you would see at the big box retailers, and like vented logs can be set up with several types of remote controls. Our favorite over the years has been the G10 Charred Aged Split Unvented log set available in 3 sizes: 16/18”, 24”, and 30”. As with all unvented log sets they have Oxygen Depletion Sensors that will shut off the burner if it detects an undesirable condition, or if it is not cleaned regularly so as to stop its detecting ability. Because of this sensor and other necessary controls unvented burners and logs are more costly then vented burners and logs, though this cost may be made up in other areas of the cost of the total fireplace system.
Our basic rule of thumb is what I call the 80/20 rule.
Vented gas logs are 80% for aesthetics and ambience and 20% for heat.
Unvented gas logs are 80% for heat and 20% for aesthetics and ambience.
There are products that will somewhat adjust this ratio if desired.
Custom English Coals
If you choose our specialty, Custom English Gas Coals that may more naturally fit with the age and style of your home, you will have the ultimate in one-of-a-kind realism in a gas fireplace while also benefiting from an increase in efficiency. Gas coals on average use less than half the amount of gas as gas logs for the same amount of warmth. The coals we use are imported directly from England and are far superior in appearance to their US counterpart, as the English have been developing and making the product for a much longer time. I know of only one other company (in another state) that import these coals directly.