AM Chimney Sweep provides chimney cleaning, inspection and repair throughout Parsippany-Troy Hills. A large part of the township was built within a single twenty-year span, and the chimneys from that period share a design that explains most of the problems we are called about.
One generation of houses
Census Bureau estimates show that nearly half of Parsippany’s homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s. On the colonials, bi-levels and split-levels of those years, the fireplace chimney was commonly built on the outside of an end wall, standing in the weather on three sides, instead of rising through the middle of the house.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates.
What an outside chimney does differently
It stays cold
A chimney inside the house is kept warm by the house. One on the outside sits at outdoor temperature. Cold air is heavy, so when you open the damper on a winter evening the flue is full of air that wants to sink, not rise. The first smoke has nowhere to go and comes into the room.
It collects creosote faster
Smoke that meets a cold flue wall cools quickly, and cooling smoke leaves deposits. Two identical fireplaces, one on an inside wall and one outside, will not need cleaning at the same rate.
It can let air in when there is no fire
In a bi-level or split-level the fireplace is often in the lower-level family room. Warm air rising through the house leaks out upstairs and pulls replacement air in at the lowest opening it can find, which may be the fireplace flue. The result is a cold draft and, in damp weather, a sooty smell downstairs.
It stands on its own footing
An outside chimney is a heavy masonry tower, often on a foundation separate from the house. If that footing settles, the chimney tilts away from the wall.
Check the gap
Stand back and look at the line where the chimney meets the siding.
- Is there a gap that is wider at the top than at the bottom?
- Is there old caulk that has been stretched or torn open?
- Has the flashing at the roofline pulled loose on the chimney side?
- From the side, does the chimney look out of plumb against the corner of the house?
A gap that has been caulked more than once is a sign the chimney is still moving. That needs a proper assessment, not more caulk. Do not use the fireplace until it has been looked at, because movement can open the flue inside.
Getting a cold flue to draw
- Open the damper a few minutes before lighting.
- Warm the flue first: hold a lit roll of newspaper up near the open damper until you see the smoke rise steadily.
- Start with a small, hot kindling fire and build up.
- Open a nearby window slightly for the first few minutes.
- Keep the damper shut whenever the fireplace is not in use.
If smoke still enters the room once the fire is established, something else is wrong: a blockage, a rough smoke chamber, or a flue that is the wrong size for the opening.
How we help
- Inspection from the roof and by camera, including the condition of the flue tiles
- Cleaning on a schedule that reflects how quickly an outside flue builds up
- Masonry repair and crown work for a stack that takes weather on three sides
- Liners, including for wood stoves and inserts, which need their own liner in a flue like this
About one Parsippany home in twelve still heats with oil. If yours does, the heating flue needs its own yearly look.
Schedule a visit
Call (862) 225-6529 or request service online. We work across Parsippany, Lake Hiawatha and the rest of the township, and in nearby Morristown, where you can read about a smoke chamber repair we completed. More projects are in Our Work.