As a Green Hill homeowner, who do you call for a professional chimney cleaning?
After consultation with a trusted neighbor, I reached out to Dan Lord, owner of Lord of the Flues. Dan Lord has been in business more than 20 years and has cleaned chimneys all over Green Hill & South County Rhode Island. He offers the following services to homeowners:
Chimney Cleaning
Chimney Relining
Chimney Repair
Chimney Waterproofing
Wood Stoves
Canadian-made Regency Stoves Installer
Book Ahead!
Dan Lord arrived with his assistant, also named Dan, right on time. It felt fairly momentous for me, because I had waited nearly 2 months to get on his calendar. [Right now Lord of the Flues is booking into January 2016]. The appointment took less than an hour and cost me just above a Ben Franklin.
This Duo of Dans cleaned my inside flue, fireplace hearth, and climbed up on my roof to inspect and clean the chimney flue from above. It was worth every penny.
Put a Cap On It to Discourage Critter Visits
I asked Dan Lord what’s the scariest thing he’d ever found in a chimney. Dan shared that homeowners are understandably on edge when they encounter raccoons or other critters living in their chimney. Raccoons apparently love climbing into chimneys because they are like a big, hollow tree. Chimneys serve as a safe place in which to live in the winter. And, for a female raccoon, it’s an outstanding location to give birth and raise a litter of baby raccoon pups.
Because raccoons are great climbers, they have no problem climbing up and down the chimney flu, and off and on your roof. Raccoon litters can be as large as 7 pups, but average about 4-5 pups, according to AAA Wildlife Control. Can you imaging returning to a seasonal home in early Spring to find a gang of raccoons making a ruckus in your beloved house? Yikes.
The best defense to prevent critters from taking up residence in your home is to secure a cap on the top of your chimney.
It’s hard to say goodbye to ocean swimming, but making a cracking fire with my family this week-end was the perfect antidote. It also set the tone for our upcoming season at Green Hill Beach. If you need a chimney cleaning, a wood stove assist or need a cap on your chimney, reach Dan Lord at 401-783-4550.