The WellSwept Blog
Who is Warnock-Hersey ?
I don't know how many times I have heard somebody say their stove is made by Warnock-Hershey. Really? Well, yes it says so on the little plate on the back. Well no, it actually does not say that at all. What it says is that the stove model was tested in a...
Can firewood be too dry?
Reality is yes, firewood can in fact be too dry. Really, you say?! Yes, in fact it can, but generally is not a huge problem and wood which is green is usually of greater concern. If you have dry wood, mix with regular wood and average out the moisture level and...
Some Important Reasons Why You Should Not ‘Skip’ Your Annual Chimney Sweeping
You may say “We’re not getting our chimney swept this year – we’ve hardly used it.” It is something I hear often and actually it does not sound at all unreasonable. After all, if the fire has not been used much will skipping a cleaning really matter that much? Well in...
Do You Have A Smoky Fireplace?
Is your fireplace smoky? Smoke coming into the room, smoke detectors going off? Well you are certainly not alone and we get this problem quite often. In fact likely half the fireplaces around cause some smoky conditions. Sometimes it is difficult to get rid of the...
Chimney Sweep Day – May 1st
Chimney sweep history goes back a long time, hundreds of years. A glimpse of it is in Mary Poppins. However the traditions go back even further. Historically chimney sweeps have always had an annual celebration that typically lasted 3 full days. Why three days?...
The Role Of The Chimney Sweep Has Changed.
Many customers who use us for the first time are somewhat surprised. Many of the sweeps they have used in the past have been the old traditional type with just one brush and some fiberglass or bamboo rods, sheet over your wood stove, sweep the chimney and leave a load...
Waiting A Few Weeks For Your Chimney Sweep Is Not A Bad Thing.
Autumn and winter are ridiculously busy for chimney sweeps and solid fuel professionals in general. Beginning in mid-August until early the following year are usually crazy busy. We do our best, but it is not uncommon for people calling the first time to be surprised...
A Guide To Wood Heating Your Home
So often we get asked about the use of the wood stove, the fireplace or where to find good firewood. We have another blog on finding and storing firewood you can read. However there is more. The booklet on the left is a very good resource and is free. There is also a...
What Exactly Is Top Down Burn?
Have you heard about a "Top Down Fire" or maybe even tried one? Many wood stove manuals actually show this as a preferred method to use when lighting a fire. Essentially in one sentence - it is a self feeding fire building technique that is very different from what we...