CHIMNEY MAINTENANCE: BASIC GUIDELINES in East Harlem, NY
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You should know a few things about fireplaces and chimneys in East Harlem, NY. Do you know how to make your chimneys as efficient as possible? We at Ageless Chimney recommend using a professional chimney sweep whenever possible, but you should also have some common knowledge on hand as well. With these tips for chimney cleaning and chimney maintenance, you can avoid costly chimney repairs.
What Type of Chimney do You Have?
Not all chimneys are created equal! Being aware of what type of chimney you have will help you when you are trying to keep your chimney and fireplace working their best. There are three main types of chimneys. They are:
- Single-Walled Metal: These are usually found in older homes and look like a thin metal pipe that sticks up from the roof. They also have a round top.
- Masonry: Masonry chimneys are considered to be the safest for the home. Masonry chimneys are standard brick and come with a liner pre-installed to make sure all smoke is vented properly.
- Prefabricated Metal: These are chimneys that are made out of metal and are usually found in commercial buildings.
Check Your Flue Regularly
The flue is the venting system for your chimney. It is basically a pipe found on the interior of your chimney liner that allows smoke and the other gasses that build up during the course of the fire to safely exit your home. It is very important that you check it regularly. If your room gets a bit too smoky during a fire, you may need to get your flue cleared. You should also make sure that your flue is always open prior to starting a fire.
Make Sure You Have a Chimney Liner
Chimney liners protect your home from the heat and flammable materials produced by a fire. In unlined chimneys, the heat of a fire can rise too quickly and cause nearby belongings to catch flame. Liners provide an extra barrier.
If you plan to purchase a chimney liner, size is the most important element. A properly-sized liner will effectively allow combustible materials to safely exit your home. However, if it is too large or small, there is a greater chance of a buildup of carbon monoxide.
Put a Cap On Your Chimney
One of the easiest and most affordable, elements to your chimney maintenance is a chimney cap. Chimney caps are vented pieces of metal that sit inside the top of your chimney and prevent unwanted materials from coming inside your fireplace, while still letting the smoke escape. Chimney caps also keep heavy rains from seeping down inside your chimney and potentially causing leaks. They are also great for keeping animals from nesting inside your fireplace during the colder months.
As always when hiring for a job, you want to make sure that your chimney sweep comes with glowing references. However, you’ll also want to check that he or she carries the proper insurance. Doing so could save you from financial responsibility in the event of a fall or other work-related accident. This is why contacting Ageless Chimney in East Harlem, NY would be the best solution to your New York County chimney issues.
Clear Your Hearth Regularly
It is always a good idea to keep your New York County hearth clean, but not just for aesthetic reasons. Before you decide to light a nice warm fire, be sure to move any valuable items from the mantle. Fire can be unpredictable, so it is smart to clear the hearth of anything that could light on fire. This also prevents unwanted debris from going up into the chimney.
Buy The Right Detectors
Sometimes you may not know if there is unwanted debris or smoke coming into your New York County home from the chimney. One of the best things you can do to keep informed of any toxic smoke is to have your home equipped with proper smoke detectors. Always be sure that you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors installed. While having a fire going is very pleasant, the safety of you and your loved ones is paramount!
Call Us Today
Getting your chimney swept and inspected improves the quality of the air in your home, keeps your loved ones safe from toxins, and reduces your home’s fire risk. Ageless Chimney takes pride in providing the safest, most cost-effective cleaning procedures. Call us today at 516-795-1313!
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east and north. Despite its name, it is generally not considered to be a part of Harlem proper, but it is one of the neighborhoods included in Greater Harlem.
The area which became East Harlem was rural for most of the 19th century, but residential settlements northeast of Third Avenue and East 110th Street had developed by the 1860s. The construction of the elevated transit line to Harlem in 1879 and 1880, and the building of the Lexington Avenue subway in 1919, urbanized the area, precipitating the construction of apartment buildings and brownstones. The extension of cable cars up Lexington Avenue into East Harlem was stymied by the incline created by Duffy’s Hill at 103rd Street, one of the steepest grades in Manhattan. East Harlem was first populated by poor German, Irish, Scandinavian, and Eastern European Jewish immigrants, with the Jewish population standing at 90,000 around 1917. In the 1870s, Italian immigrants joined the mix after a contractor building trolley tracks on First Avenue imported Italian laborers as strikebreakers. The workers’ shantytown along the East River at 106th Street was the beginning of an Italian neighborhood, with 4,000 having arrived by the mid-1880s. As more immigrants arrived, it expanded north to East 115th Street and west to Third Avenue.
East Harlem consisted of pockets of ethnically-sorted settlements – Italian, German, Irish, and Jewish – which were beginning to press up against each other, with the spaces still between them occupied by “gasworks, stockyards and tar and garbage dumps”. In 1895, the Union Settlement Association, one of the oldest settlement houses in New York City, began providing services in the area, offering the immigrant and low-income residents a range of community-based programs, including boys and girls clubs, a sewing school and adult education classes.
Southern Italians and Sicilians, with a moderate number of Northern Italians, soon predominated, especially in the area east of Lexington Avenue between 96th and 116th Streets and east of Madison Avenue between 116th and 125th Streets, with each street featuring people from different regions of Italy. The neighborhood became known as “Italian Harlem”, the Italian American hub of Manhattan; it was the first part of Manhattan to be referred to as “Little Italy”. The first Italians arrived in East Harlem in 1878, from Polla in the province of Salerno, and settled in the vicinity of 115th Street.
Learn more about East Harlem.