by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
You light your wood stove, looking forward to a warm evening. But suddenly—PUFF. A cloud of gray smoke bursts out of the stove and into your living room. Instead of a cozy fire, you are coughing and opening windows. This is called back puffing. It happens when smoke...
by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Dec 30, 2025 | Uncategorized
When you look at your fireplace, you probably just see the bricks and the fire. But your chimney is actually a complex machine. It has many parts working together to keep smoke moving out and heat staying in. Understanding the parts of a chimney can help you spot...
by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 | Uncategorized
You walk into your living room and stop. You smell something gross. Maybe it smells like a wet dog, a stale campfire, or something rotting. You look around, but the smell is coming from your fireplace. A smelly chimney is a very common problem in Colorado Springs,...
by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 | Uncategorized
When brick gets wet and temps swing below freezing, water inside the brick turns to ice and expands. That push widens tiny pores and hairline cracks. Melt, refill, refreeze, repeat. The brick surface flakes, mortar loosens, and gaps grow. This is freeze-thaw damage,...
by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 | Uncategorized
If you burn wood, gas, or oil, your chimney liner choice matters. Clay is common in older masonry chimneys. Stainless steel fits most updates and tough fuel mixes. Aluminum only fits some low heat gas vents. Think of clay as classic brick bread pan, stainless as a...
by chimneysweepscoloradosprings | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 | Uncategorized
Brick spalling means the brick face flakes off. Loose mortar means the joints are open or crumbly. Both let water slide into the chimney. Then the cold comes, the water freezes, and bricks pop even more. You stop it by fixing joints, swapping bad bricks, sealing...
