10 Fun Facts About Your Chimney

It has been unseasonably cold up here in the Northeast and one of the best parts about having a fireplace and a chimney is being able to warm up next to a cozy fire. However, our roofing experts want to remind you that it’s important that your chimney be properly installed and covered by roof flashing. If it’s not, water can leak through your roof and cause structural damage.

Here, are 10 fun facts you may not know about chimneys:

1. Most modern chimneys have a protective coating called a chimney liner. This inner liner can be made from aluminum, stainless steel, terra cotta, or other fireproof materials and it helps keep too much heat from reaching the rest of your home.

2. Like pigs, chimney sweeps were often associated with good luck. In some towns, on New Year’s day, chimney sweeps would walk through the streets holding a pig and villagers would pay a small amount of money to make a wish while they pulled a hair from the pig.

3. If your chimney is giving off a funny smell, it’s most likely due to the buildup of creosote along the walls. Schedule a professional chimney cleaning and invest in some commercial chimney deodorant.

4. Ever wonder why chimney smoke goes up and out the chimney instead of into your home? It’s because warm air rises and creates an updraft that takes all the smoke with it.

5. The top of your chimney may be covered with a chimney cap. Chimney caps can keep rain and animals out, can increase updraft, and can reduce the amount of smoke that flows into your home.

6. Chimney fires can reach up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Chimneys were first introduced in northern Europe during the 12th century, however, they didn’t become common in homes until the 16th and 17th centuries.

8. You can use less wood (and make fewer trips to the woodpile) by using hard woods like hickory or white oak. Since these woods are denser, they’ll burn longer.

9. The world’s tallest chimney can be found in Ekibastuz, Kazakhstan. Built in 1987, it’s 1,377 feet tall.

10. As hot smoke, unburned wood particles, gases, and hydrocarbon float up a cooler chimney, condensation occurs and forms the residue known as creosote.

If you’re afraid that your home may have a leaking roof, call our roofing experts as soon as possible. We’ll inspect it and make any necessary repairs.