Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

Chimney Terminology: Chimney or Flue or Vent?

Despite its simple appearance, your chimney is much more complicated than it might seem. While chimneys may decorate your roofline, they serve a much more important purpose than for mere aesthetics.

Because there are a variety of different kinds of chimneys, many homeowners do not know the correct chimney terminology to use when describing their fireplace system. Below is a discussion of three of the most commonly confused fireplace terms: chimney, flue, and vent.

Chimney

The chimney is the vertical stack that extends from the top of your roofline, allowing smoke, gas, or other products of combustion to exit your home. A chimney may pass through other parts of the house before exiting your home; this is especially true in homes where the chimney is not on an exterior wall or is on the first floor.

Chimneys are typically constructed of bricks, mortar, or other masonry or are factory built and made of stainless steel. Some factory built chimneys are covered with a decorative chimney chase or siding or other roofing materials to match the rest of the house.

In a discussion of the parts of your fireplace system, the chimney tends to be the exterior portion that is exposed to the elements.

Flue

The term flue refers to the passage by which smoke, gas, or products of combustion are moved to the outdoors. Ducts, pipes, vents, and even chimneys can all be considered types of flues. The purpose of the flue is to protect the rest of the home from the heat of the byproducts of combustion caused by a fire.

Most homes with modern fireplaces have a lined flue. Many flues are lined with tiles, although they may need to be relined over time due to damage or decay. Chimneys with damaged flue liners are often repaired with cast in place or stainless steel liners to ensure the flue has no gaps or holes through with hot air, gas, embers, or sparks could escape.

Vent

Vents are similar to fireplaces and flues in that they may pass through other parts of the house and they do need temperature protection to prevent a transfer of heat from the vent to the surrounding building materials. However, vents are not designed to handle the high heat produced by wood burning fires. Because of this, vents are most commonly used with gas fireplaces.

Vents may exit vertically through the roof, but may also exit horizontally through a wall. Like chimneys and flues, vents allow the byproducts of combustion to exit the home while simultaneously drawing in outside air to fuel the fire. By drawing in air from the outside into a closed combustion system, fireplaces with vents are able to operate much more efficiently than their open hearth counterparts.

If you’re unsure as to whether your fireplace system has a chimney, flue, or vent, contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan today. Our highly trained staff can evaluate the health of your fireplace system while making sure you know the correct terminology to use for the future.

Why Install a Wood Stove Today?

When thinking about adding a new heating appliance to their home, many homeowners are quick to dismiss wood stoves, viewing them as outdated or old-fashioned. However, this could not be further from the truth!

Modern wood stoves are beautiful, efficient appliances that make an excellent primary or supplementary heating source. With a variety of sizes and styles available, now is the perfect time to consider switching to a wood stove. Below are a few of the many advantages of installing a wood burning stove in your home.

Save money of fuel

With the ever-rising prices of oil, natural gas, and electricity, burning wood [http://www.woodheat.org/cord-wood.html] may be one of the most cost effective ways to heat your home. Wood averages a lower price per BTU than any other fuel source.

In addition to saving money on fuel, using a wood stove for zone heating [http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-thermostat4.htm] is another way to amass significant savings. Zone heating works by heating specific rooms at specific times, such as warming the kitchen and family room during the afternoon and evenings and the bedrooms at night. Doing this reduces your overall heating costs by not unnecessarily controlling the temperature in parts of the home that are not in use.

Keep warm – even when the power is out

Unlike some fireplaces or inserts, wood stoves do not require electricity to run. This means that they can continue to heat your home even if the power is out. Additionally, wood stoves are an excellent choice for families looking to go “off the grid” and not use electricity to heat their homes.

Wood stoves also help heat your home more efficiently than a traditional fireplace. With an open hearth, much of the heat ends up being lost up the chimney. With a wood stove, however, the fuel source is more efficiently burned and can better heat a room or an entire house. In addition, many wood stoves can be installed directly into an existing hearth, often needing only minor adjustments to the flue before use.

Reduce your carbon footprint

There are a number of ways that wood stoves are considered green energy sources. First, wood stoves use a renewable resource as their fuel source. In addition, firewood can be easily found in almost every part of the country, meaning you aren’t spending additional time or money driving around hunting for or shipping a fuel source.

In addition to using a renewable resource, modern wood stoves must also be certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. EPA Certified wood stoves burn fuel efficiently and produce a minimal amount of particulate emissions and air pollution.

Add beauty and ambiance to your home

The addition of a wood stove is an excellent way to add beauty and ambiance to your home. Whether it will be used in a rustic cabin or a more modern living space, the wide variety of styles [] and sizes of wood stoves means there is an appliance for every home.

If you’re ready to add the warmth of a wood stove to your home, stop by or contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan today! Our expert staff can help you find the wood stove that fits your budget, style, and heating needs.