When Does a Chimney Need Sweeping? What a Sweep Finds
Not on a date and not on a number of fires. The measured depth that makes a chimney due, what speeds creosote up, the signs of a chimney fire and what a sweep finds.
Fireside notes
What we get asked in the showroom, written down. Local rules, straight answers on wood against gas, and the things worth knowing before you buy rather than after.
Installing a Wood Stove: What We Check Before It Goes In
The manual for the exact stove sets most of the rules. The hearth pad, the distance to the wall, the chimney, the pipe, the alarms and the permit, in the order we check them.
Jøtul Cast Iron Stoves: What the Iron Changes and Which Size Fits
Cast iron warms slower, cools slower and is built from plates you can replace. Where Jøtul stoves are made, and which of the four current models suits which room.
Gas Logs and Fireplaces on Propane: What Changes
A log set is built for one gas. The tank has to feed everything on the line. Propane sinks where natural gas rises. What to settle with us and with your propane company before you order.
How to Choose a Fire Pit in Canton and Cherokee County
Start with a tape measure, not a catalog. The 25 feet a wood fire needs, why gas can sit closer, what the county asks, and the covenant question to settle before the stone is ordered.
Three Ways to Fix a Fireplace That Does Not Heat
Sitting in front of it is lovely and the rest of the house gets colder. Three fixes, from an afternoon to a rebuild, and the five things we measure before recommending one.
Converting a Wood Fireplace to Gas: What It Takes
Logs, or an insert. One is an afternoon and a gas line, the other is a liner up the chimney and real heat. What each path needs, and what the Georgia code asks for.
Which Firewood Burns Best, and How Long to Season It
Hickory and white oak carry the most heat per cord, and a wet split of either is worth less than a dry poplar. Seasoning times, stacking, what a cord legally is, and where ash cannot go.
How to Size a Wood Stove to Your Room
The number on the tag is not a rating. Firebox volume, log length, where the air can go, and why the stove that is too big is the one that burns dirty.
What an Annual Fireplace Service Actually Includes
The visit that prevents the January phone call, itemized. What gets checked on gas, what gets cleaned on wood, what the national standard actually says, and why September is the month.
Vented or Vent-Free Gas Logs: Which Can Your Fireplace Take?
They are not interchangeable, and the fireplace decides. A walk through the chimney, the damper, the room, and the code, so you know which one to ask for.
Can You Use a Fire Pit During Georgia's Burn Ban?
The ban that runs every summer in Floyd and Cherokee counties is aimed at yard debris, not at your patio. Where the line actually falls, and the clearances that do apply.
Ask us directly
Some questions are quicker out loud.
If you cannot find it here, call the shop. We have been answering these in Rome since 1974, and it usually takes two minutes.