Practical notes from Jacob Dove and the crew: what we find on the job, what to watch for at home, and when to call.
A Monee chimney was swept yearly but never inspected. The first camera scan found cracked tiles a brush would never reveal. What a Level 1 inspection covers.
A Beecher fireplace burned dirty on wood that looked seasoned. A moisture meter told the real story. How to season firewood so your chimney stays clean.
A Grant Park gas fireplace clicked but wouldn't light. The pilot was fine — the gas valve had failed. Why valve work is a job for a qualified…
An Aroma Park dryer took two cycles per load. A long vent run, a lint-packed booster fan, and a stuck exterior flapper were the cause. Here is the…
A St. Anne wood stove vented into an oversized clay flue drafted poorly and built creosote. Why we relined it to an insulated stainless liner listed to UL
A Herscher attic leak traced to failed step flashing and a missing cricket behind a wide chimney. How we found it and sealed the roof-to-brick joint.
A Peotone CO alarm traced back to a blocked furnace flue, not the furnace. Here is how a chimney inspection finds a dangerous vent before it harms anyone.
A Momence fireplace backpuffed on the first cold night. Jacob Dove explains cold-flue draft reversal and how we got the chimney drawing again.
A Manteno masonry firebox was shedding firebrick and refractory mortar. Here is how we read the damage and what a real firebox repair involves.
A Bradley chimney fire cracked the clay flue tiles. Here is how we inspected the damage and relined the flue in stainless so the fireplace was safe to…
A Kankakee fireplace smoked on every start. The fix was not the flue or the damper but the rough corbelled smoke chamber above it, parged smooth.
Upstairs laundry rooms in newer Manhattan homes mean long dryer vent runs. Why they clog faster and how the allowance is actually calculated.