Flue Season's Burning Issues

In Defense Of Chimney Sweeps - in Russian 1926

2012-01-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

The New year in many countries is associated with chimney sweeps and good luck. This photo is from a book for the enlightenment of Soviet children in 1926.

This illustrated book confirms the connection of sweeps and luck in the Russian new year tradition as well as the European ones. Of course, the Russian new year doesn't occur until January 13th on the Gregorian calendar. So you can celebrate yet again if you are so inclined.

Wishing you all a fine and joyous year, with lot's of good luck!

Holiday Cooking Ills

2011-11-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've always loved about the Holidays is gathering for the big feasts. I love the smells, the kitchen bustle, the traditions... eating - It's all good.

Exhaustion, headaches, and body aches sometimes accompany these days. We often write these off as flu symptoms or simply the result of tiredness from all the work, wine, over-eating, and people. However if you are cooking with gas be aware that your cookstove vents directly into your home. That means carbon monoxide is in your kitchen. Those ills you feel may be the result of breathing higher than healthy levels of CO.

The recommended CO exposure limits are only 9ppm (parts per million) per 24 hour period. Most stovetop burners, if reasonably clean and functioning correctly, put out around 22ppm each. This number increases dramatically when a pot is put on the burner. The oven may vent over 100ppm. And there you are, standing over the stove breathing it in.

What to do:

1. Always run the exhaust fan and/or open a window when cooking. This alone will take care of most of the problem.

2. Install a CO detector. At least one per home is required by the state of California but why not install one in the cooking area as well?

3. Have your oven and burners CO levels checked by a competent chimney and venting professional or expert appliance repairman, and then cleaned and tuned if needed.

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Using A Self Cleaning Oven To Clean A BBQ

2011-11-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

In response to a recent Redding.com post by Anna Moseley about the idea of using your kitchen cook oven to clean your grill:

Don't forget - gas fueled cook ovens vent directly into the home. CO is a dangerous byproduct that enters into the home, and your body, when the stove is in use. Most manufacturers directions include leaving the home and venting it by running the kitchen exhaust fan and or opening windows when running a self cleaning cycle with a gas stove. CO detectors are a must as well as required by the state as of July 2011.

Reflections from the night cyclist

2011-09-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

It’s 4:30 a.m. and I’m riding my bicycle by myself.

It’s dark. Not counting the few street and business lights.

It’s hushed.

The one main road I have to be on for about 5 miles has few cars to worry about at this time. Two or three cars going my direction are usual. Once I turn east only none, or one, or two will whoosh past, if it's a weird day. Beyond the next turn I’ll be on a one lane back road and rarely see any cars for a couple of hours.

I generally keep a flashing tail light going and a head lamp. However, I like to shut the lamps off once I’m off the two lane roads. It's like coloring without boundaries.

The air is thick, and rich, and flows around me like cool milk.

I hear startled animals duck off the road.

With limited eyesight my other senses are alert – the morning smells like the first sounds of a newborn – never repeated again in its waking life.

I can’t see the cyclometer or my gear rings. I don’t know if I’m going fast or slow.

There are no lines on the road so I have to look for the slight phosphorescence of the weeds marking the pavement edge. I don’t know how to describe “seeing” in the dark. You relax your eyes. You can’t “look” at things. It’s more like absorbing subtle shadings and textures and then imagining them into place.

This imagining works but it is inaccurate. I am abandoning accuracy for sensation. I hope I don’t “sense” myself running into barbed wire.

To the east the oaks silhouette – like giant puffballs against the waning night sky – The watchmen of my world. I never notice their perfection during the day.

A Mona Lisa smile rises looking like something Van Gogh’s poor eyesight contrived. She puts the grass – i.e. stiff tinder, dull and lifeless, beyond dead, as something that never should have been, thistles, and stickers, symbols of the curse, that everyone always wishes were green, “like in Oregon”... she makes it flow silver, shimmering.

I smell its sweat, its fever, its introspection, its exhibitionism.

It’s easy for random thoughts to emerge in this cloister and I wonder, “If someone sees something so monotonous during the day, as beauty in the night, is the beauty real, or is the monotony justified?” The monochrome pointillism follows me through the day like a little private joke between me and the weeds. I know what they’re “really” like.

It’s light enough to see now and I’m pushing hard to get to the top of this road where I’ll stay hidden from the sun... I don’t make it. It rises directly into my eyes.

It’s magic. It destroys the silver with a glance and, establishing a dominant alchemy, transforms my world to gold. It’s the gold of a climax: the effortless explosion of the taste of a crisp, ripe peach on a summer day, the gold of a chorale winging to its height, the gold of miracles. The chameleous weeds just giggle and glow.

I dodge into the shade for a time. Then, turning my back on the morning, ride into my day.

How To Know If Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning - Or Not

2011-08-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Air ducts should be cleaned periodically sometimes.

In theory, a duct with a great air filter and no leaks in the ducting is going to get very little in the way of contaminants. However the real world bucks the theory.

When do your ducts need cleaning?

1. When you look in them and see a lot of dust.

We don't give a price for duct cleaning by phone. We come and look first to see if they are dirty. If they are dirty then we want to find the cause - otherwise they just get dirty again.

Here is more than you wanted to know. So skip to #2 if you want to get through now.

If there are leaks in the return then dirty air from the attic or crawl space gets pulled into the ducts and distributed through the home. Unconditioned air is also pulled in making your furnace or AC work harder. If leaks are in the supply then the home becomes depressurized and outside air is sucked in everywhere it can - like the fireplace.

2. If you have allergies that go away when you leave the home or office.

3. If the furnace or air conditioner was running while you had construction going on - dust gets sucked in.

4. If your filter is missized, missing, or plugged.

We install an electrostatic air filter as part of our duct cleaning. We want them to stay clean after we clean them.

5. If rodents got in or water - probably we need to replace the ducting.

Additional Information and duct cleaning options:

Fogging to lock down remaining dust, or, to fog in an anti-bacteria chemical.

We test the ducts for leakage - we can seal accessible ducts and measure for leaks after to see what was accomplished. One small home went from 580cfm loss to 180cfm. An 8" fan can move around 200cfm. They were losing the equivalent of 3 fans blowing to the outside. We were able to reduce it by 2/3!

Call us up. 221 3331 or 527 3331 or bob@flueseason.com We'll evaluate your system and see what your needs are.

Finally someone gets the right take about wood burning...

2011-06-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2011/05/31/wood-heat-renewable-energy-gets-no-respect?page=0%2C0

Help Us Out: This business needs help!

2011-06-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

I need some help. We ask our customers for testimonials at the end of each job. Not only do we really want to know how well you think we serve you but we need a way to get that information to potential new customers.

The problem is -
1.) If we stand and ask you the survey questions while at your home it could feel intimidating to say something negative. However, if we leave the form with you we rarely get one returned even with prepaid postage. We even pass out prepaid Angies list forms and only one in ten gets sent in.

2.) It is really hard to get answers that are little more than "Yes". "No", or "Fine", even when asking open ended questions.

I have to admit, I'm no different. If someone asks me a question I'm unprepared for I'll tend to blow it off. Questionaires go in the stack which gets other things stacked on it to sit until I clean the pile by tossing it.

If you want to get past my wall you have to draw me in. Often, if someone says to me "I need some help, I need some material to help us be a better company and to market our service. Would you mind answering a few questions with that in mind?" I'll relent.

What about you? What is the best way to get great feedback and testimonials from you to make my business better?

Squrrel Babies in Dryer Vent

2011-06-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

I went to check out a plugged dryer vent. There was a squirrel in it. It had had babies.

This is not my favorite kind of job. I've seen lizards, snakes, rodents in the vents... ugghh!

It's easy to prevent this with a screen guard over the vent termination. Or, you can make sure the flap works correctly in the exhaust cover.

Not only was the CO from the gas dryer devastating to the squirrel family, the people in the home had a headache - and not just from the need to have a squirrel funeral. The CO was coming back into the home.

Fry Your Brain Back To The 60's

2011-06-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of issues with Carbon Monoxide. 1. It frys your brain. 2. It can kill you.
There are many ways to get CO into your home and, from there, into your lungs. Here are a few common sources:

Leave a car running in your attached garage.
Your fireplace or wood stove smokes.
You use a gas heater or fireplace and it vents improperly.
You cook with gas without the exhaust vent running.
Your gas clothes dryer vent is plugging up.
You, or someone near you, smoke cigarettes.

CO poisoning is often confused with flu-like symptoms. Headaches, nausea, lethargy, aching body etc. are some symptoms. CO accumulates in your body over time.

Prevention is best: Open the garage door when warming the car up; refuse to live with a smoking fireplace; gas heaters and dryer vents need to be checked periodically; smoke outside and, umm, don't inhale?

July 1, 2011 a California law goes into effect requiring CO detectors in every home. It doesn't say exactly how it will be policed - maybe there with be a new police branch called "detectors". (BTW that's a pun.) The drawback is that when the alarm goes off you've been breathing some level of CO already.

So, install the alarms and have your appliances checked. Breathe easy. The 60's weren't all they're cracked up to be when it comes to brain damage.

Alpina Lite Terrain Ski Review

2011-05-14T14:41:00.000-07:00

What's that Gray patch? See below.

Alpina ski review
I bought the Alpina Lite Terrain Skis in 2010 for an intended trip on the Sierra Haute Route. This is an ambitious route through the high Sierra with much of it over 11,000 feet and a long (8 mile) approach hike. Usually AT gear is recommended but I wanted a lighter set up and was willing to sacrifice some downhill virtuosity for lightness and climbing ability. We were stormed out in 2010 and went in this year (2011) at the beginning of May.

My background:
I’m 5’9, 190lbs. nearly 60 years old, and have been skiing and climbing in the backcountry since 1970. I’ve had a zillion different skis from wood alpine skis we cut down narrow on a table saw and put 3 pin bindings on in the early 70’s, to Silveretta Cables on downhill skis, metal edged BC with little sidecut, Ramers, Silveretta 404 on Tuas, AT gear, lite XC stuff, and various Alpine set ups. I’ve climbed in various places around the world and still consider the Sierras a perfect string of mountains.

In the year I’ve owned them I skied groomers, did some laps a Castle Lake (near Mount Shasta) and on Mount Shasta. I just finished a 6 day trip on the Sierra Haute Route (SHR) and they were a great ski for the trip.

The Skis:
The Alpina Lite Terrain is a waxless ski with single camber, 178cm, 102-64-87, 4lbs. 12oz. They retail for about $250 and I think I paid $210. Pretty cheap price relatively speaking. I mounted them with Voile Cable bindings (29 oz.) and Garmont Excursion boots.
Overall I am VERY pleased with this set up.

Uphill Performance:
These have an aggressive fish scale pattern on the base. They climb really well. For something with a lot of ups and downs where skins are going to come on and off too often these shine. For a sustained climb of maybe over 20 degrees I skinned up – especially with a pack on. But in rollers they are fun. The waxless base allowed us to choose our route indiscriminately. We didn’t need to worry about needing to get up a small ridge or hump.

Downhill performance:
Tele at the lifts – the skis are surprisingly responsive. They come around right away and hold the turn without requiring a lot of effort and don’t seem to care how steep it is. I skied black diamonds, tree chutes and everything else on them. They perform very consistently. They do not like speed. If you want to run tele laps or break the sound barrier these are not for you but if you want to tour and get some fun turns – and the Sierra Haute Route is definitely not a golf course tour – then you might like these skis. They are slow. Really slow. The fish scales drag like crazy – this is in comparison to AT or Tele skis with no base pattern.

In the backcountry I never noticed the drag on the downhills though a smooth base ski would certainly glide much easier and further. It has a good balance between downhill performance and climbing ability. It’s better at climbing or basic touring stride than aggressive downhilling. Skiing with a winter pack I’m not able to ski aggressively anyway which was another reason to choose this lighter ski. It is a fun ski to turn though.

Shortcomings:
It doesn’t float well. If the snow is much over 6” deep it doesn’t just pop up on top. The skis are short – 178 is the longest they make. From me, who knows little about ski design, they might be better served to have a slightly more upturned and longer tip.

The first day I used them I was trying some old Asolo Snowfield leather boots on them up at Castle lake. It was a great soft snow day, no rocks etc. The Asolos definitely could not drive the ski, at least they couldn’t on my feet. I fell several times, not big screaming falls but falls from being too far back on the ski. At the end of the first day there was a big chunk out of one ski. This was the first day I’d used these skis.

Not only was I bummed out but I wondered if durability was an issue and how the heck would they survive the high sierra if a little fall would break them. I called Akers ski, where I bought them online and clear across the country. They were no help and suggested I call Alpina. Alpina never responded. You can see the patch in the first image on the page. For some reason I can't get it moved down here.

That is a flexible epoxy.

The lesson may be – purchase from someone who has to look you in the eye if something goes wrong with your ski.

Despite this bummer the patch held up. The skis are unscathed despite being carried on my pack with the requisite tails hitting the ground while laying the pack down during rests etc. So, despite my problem with them and lack of company service/response they seem to be durable.

AT ski set ups are typically recommended for the SHR. I think they are too heavy unless you are really strong for skiing with a pack on and/or have energy left over at the end of a day to go earn some turns. We played a whole day with no packs in the Milestone Creek drainage and dropping into Kern Canyon – definitely tons of fun. Skiing down from below Shepherds pass I dropped a couple thousand vertical feet with a pack on and had a really good descent except for one place where the corn was 8”+ deep and thick – I didn’t have enough power and speed to drive through it. These are not a ski for powder. I haven't tried them on ice - hard snow at the groomers where they were adequate for my purposes - a strong touring ski with some fun downhill characteristics.

The Alpina Lites were pushed into the edges of true Alpine Touring and I think they performed very well.

Farmers Insurance Dryer Fire University of Farmers

2011-03-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

I just love a good ad. Besides potentially causing fires a clogged dryer vent may back carbon monoxide into your breathing space - with gas dryers. When we clean a dryer we are installing the LintAlert which tells you when the system is getting clogged. You don't have to wait until it takes two or three cycles to dry and a head ache to think about it.

2009-11-23T06:02:00.001-08:00

November 21 was the 3rd anniversary of the repose of Fr. George Calciu, a survivor of the worst of the Romanian prison camps. He visited us once at our home. When he knelt down to pray he seemed to leave the room. He went someplace else to be with God while we threw our prayers from a distance. The joy in him was radiant yet he was made of iron. He was not afraid of anything - nothing, and he therefore, was not afraid to be goodness since he had nothing to lose. Frederica Mathews-Green has written a bit of a remembrance here: http://tinyurl.com/ydqwxdn

2009-11-12T18:43:00.001-08:00

The EPA May Limit Exhalation??

On Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration may approve an EPA finding that classifies greenhouse gases as detrimental to human health.

This would give regulators more leverage over greenhouse gas emitters - like people who breathe out I suppose. Athletes, who often breathe harder than others, would be required to train less or pay mitigation fees. Death followed by decomposition could be outlawed. There may be future riches in body preservation and storage.

The politics are:
1. It could force congress to speed up legislation regarding greenhouse gases.

2. Obama is heading to Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. He wouldn't want to be seen as farting around after receiving the Nobel prize.

Health care reform legislation would need to be sped up to make room for the anti-flatulence rules.

What about beer bubbles? Aren't those CO2? It's a flat beer future - get used to it.

Trees that die in the woods; cows, dead or alive; bad cooking - all gone!

I wonder if it will affect heating your home with wood, gas, or oil?

The EPA May Limit Exhalation??

2009-11-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

On Monday the Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama administration may approve an EPA finding that classifies greenhouse gases as detrimental to human health.

This would give regulators more leverage over greenhouse gas emitters - like people who breathe out I suppose. Athletes, who often breathe harder than others, would be required to train less or pay mitigation fees. Death followed by decomposition could be outlawed. There may be future riches in body preservation and storage.

The politics are:
1. It could force congress to speed up legislation regarding greenhouse gases.

2. Obama is heading to Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. He wouldn't want to be seen as farting around after receiving the Nobel prize.

Health care reform legislation would need to be sped up to make room for the anti-flatulence rules.

What about beer bubbles? Aren't those CO2? It's a flat beer future - get used to it.

Trees that die in the woods; cows, dead or alive; bad cooking - all gone!

I wonder if it will affect heating your home with wood, gas, or oil?

2009-09-11T07:12:00.001-07:00

"...I’ve seen pitiful weakness,” Steve (House) writes. “I’ve watched myself crawl, belly-down, across a mountainous landscape of fear. Climbing has shown me that I am all of these things: strong and weak, brave and coward, both immune to and at the mercy of the fear of death - all at the same time. Risk is the fee to learn these lessons. The cost is not negotiable. It is a price that, for now, I pay gladly." From: Beyond The Mountain".

Museum Closed

2009-08-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Modoc County Board of Supervisors closed the museum in Alturas.

This is a really enjoyable museum. When taking my boys camping in the desert or traveling that direction we ALWAYS stopped at the museum. They asked to stop there. We have had the practice of stopping at every small town museum we come across in our travels. The one in Alturas is among the best.

Last week my third generation camped with me and a highlight was to introduce them to this museum. "Closed".

I asked next door about the "Closed" sign. The Chamber of Commerce rep wondered aloud if any of the Board had ever been to the museum. "They didn't see it as valuable to the community." Is this an accurate perception of Board values?

Six other cars stopped to see the museum while we were in the parking lot on a Monday. All were disappointed. Modoc County history is really interesting - Indians, pioneers, nature, ranches, mail order brides, baseball teams, weird stuff that's only in a museum...

I know there are budgets to deal with. I know everyone has their own pet item they believe shouldn't be cut. But... But... This museum had one staff person, plus volunteers. It charged money to get in. It doesn't need to be open every day nor year round. Weekends only? Three days a week?

America is known in other parts of the world as being largely a-historical regarding our own roots let alone that of others. History on this micro scale answers part of the "why did they come here?" question. This answer in turn provides context for "Why are we here?" Together these answers: seen, and heard, and touched in a museum, in a community, in a county, in a state, in a country, in the world - provide ballast for securing the future. Isn't that the purpose of the B.O.S.?

Modoc County has helped contribute to their own county's illiteracy. And mine.

Dear B.O.S.: Open it up to my third generation and the multiple generations in your own valley.

Modoc County
Board of Supervisors
204 S. Court St.
Alturas, Ca. 96101

2009-08-03T07:12:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting article on what the bailout is doing for small businesses: http://ping.fm/VsntV

2009-08-02T18:41:00.001-07:00

Our clothes dryer broke this week(end). So far, it's cost $99 to have the repair guy out. Needs another $100 plus in parts. The thing is only 6 years old. Whatever happened to the 20 years washers and dryers used to last?

The repair guy said our washer is a. a lemon; b. going to tank at any moment. $99 buys no hope.

The good news is: Clothes dry fast and cheap outside on the rope I stretched in the backyard for this purpose. However, I remember how it was to wash clothes in the tub and dry them on racks by the stove in the winter. I don't think we'll go back to that period in our life. We'll fix it if it's not too much more. Otherwise, there's a new dryer in our future.

Why doesn't the $4500 you can get for a clunker extend to Whirlpool?

2009-07-31T15:03:00.001-07:00

^Flue Season Boss is Master Sweep^
Bob Ferrari is Certified by the CSIA and NFI as a wood, gas, and pellet technician. he qualifies for the NFI Master Hearth Technician.

Report : Air Travel From Redding

2009-07-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a business trip to the Midwest. We've all heard about the thinning services offered over the last few years. I'll confirm a few and add one peeve.

Yes, you do get nothing more than a drink and a snack if the flight is less than, (I think), three hours. Therefore, nearly all flights are broken into less than the time required to feed you. This means it takes longer to get where you are going since you have to stop more often, and if you forget to bring food you have to buy an airline sandwich.

Yes, going through L.A. is better than going through San Francisco even though you have to change terminals because there are fewer delays or canceled flights, or canceled delayed flights.

Yes, you do have to pay to check a bag, your first bag. You pay more for a second bag. Many Americans are traveling lighter. That's not such a bad thing. I didn't see anyone wearing multiple layers of clothing, as I did in Kyrgyzstan, to avoid excess baggage fees. That means it's less likely the plane is overweight, (which is likely in Kyrgyzstan).

This brings me to my peeve. Many flights are at full capacity because the airlines have scheduled fewer flights. I don't have a problem with that. It's just business. However, on account of the baggage fee, more people are traveling with just a carry-on. I bring my laptop and a daypack on board. I was asked, since my two bags are small, to put them under the seat in front of me so that there will be room for people with the large carry-ons.

That brings out my grumble. I paid for a checked bag. Why should I sit with less leg room so Mr. or Mrs. Big Bag has more room? No. I'm not going to play.

I suppose it won't be long until any carry-on costs extra.

The airline that asked me to stow my gear under the seat was Delta/Northwest. The coolest airline from Redding to other hubs is Alaska/Horizon. Their people smile. They have good cookies. They serve beer and wine for free. They hub in L.A. And, they never ask me to live without leg room.

Chimney Sweep Wins Tour De France

2009-07-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

It wasn't me.
Maurice Garin, a chimney sweep, won the first Tour De France in 1903. I guess that means breathing soot isn't actually detrimental to your lungs. That's good news to me.

Chimney sweeps often rode bikes from job to job in those days. Many old sweep photos show the working men with their bikes. I suppose they were somewhat kin to today's bike messengers in the big cities. Those guys can ride.

You don't often hear of plumbers or carpenters riding bikes for work. Certainly you never hear of masons. But chimney sweeps have always ridden bikes and we won the first TDF.

I'm so proud.

Lavender Festival

2009-06-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

We dropped in on the Tuscan Heights Lavender Festival Saturday in Whitmore. This festival is new, a first time production. If you google Lavender Festival it is surprising how many come up from across the country. Apparently, lavender farms are rising stars.

Whitmore is easy to get to and a nice drive on a weekend. The 13 acre farm is really pleasant with a well stocked gift store and large gardens. It is open Fridays through Sundays for July then closes until the Fall season. The farm is available for private tours and weddings.

The festival had great wine tasting. There are new vineyards in Whitmore as well as wines representing Manton and Redding. Who would have ever thought we'd be Wine Country?

Arts, crafts, and medicinal seminars, all built around lavender, were interesting and fun. The afternoon music from the Shingletown band Morghande was great as usual.

If there is a drawback it is the lack of shaded seating areas. It is fine on a weekend but not enough for a crowd. I'll bet that is fixed by next year.

Check them out at Tuscan Heights Lavender Farm, and make a trip upcountry this summer.

Lassen Skiing is Good!

2009-06-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Most people rarely think of snow skiing in the summer. I am not one of them. I love climbing a ridge or couloir, stepping into my bindings, and cranking some turns - in shorts.

The snow is still good in many places on Lassen and Shasta. Get out there and earn your turns. You can drive to Lassen, climb and ski, and be at the lake by 1p.m. Not a bad day.

Sledding is good too for non skiers. The weather is warm enough that even if you get all wet no harm, or even much discomfort, is done. 105 in Redding? Go play in the snow!

Shasta County Fair

2009-06-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

We took some of our grandchildren to the fair. I haven't been in quite a while. The boys, 7 and 8, wanted to throw darts at balloons and win a stuffed animal. 10 bucks, 6 darts. The guy makes sure they get a prize - a little stuffed bear worth $1.50. So far, so good.

Then the chicanery starts. He gives two free darts. What a great guy! The kids pop balloons. This leads to a third dart - for free. And they can win the BIG stuffed animal. However if they win it I have to pay $20 to get it. The free darts are not actually free - if they are winners. That reality was difficult to choke out of him. It was real hard to explain to the boys.

All the carnie booths were like that. They were set to suck your money out. That isn't a surprise but it is disappointing. It felt dirty. I wouldn't go to something put up by Butler Amusement again. Aren't there any amusement companies who have learned what family friendly really means?

There was a downpour while we were there and many prizes were soaked. They were replaced with dry ones and the wet ones were put in bags. What do they do with those wet stuffed animals? Given the "feel" of the carnie kingdom they might dry them out and reuse them at the next stop. What are you getting with that prize?

Then there were ticket prices: $1.00 a ticket. Not too bad. However rides took 3 to 5 tickets! $5 for a ride of one minute. You could buy an unlimited pass for $30. That isn't too bad except a grandpa with 4 grandchildren will be out $120 for rides and $50 for bad food, not much bad food, just enough to tide us over until we could get out of there.

OK. It wasn't all bad. The kids like car racing, even if the announcers were pretty lame. They loved the 4H and contest exhibits - what a county fair originally was all about. The kids are planning what they can do well for next year. Inspiration!

They enjoyed many of the commercial booths too. So many promises of the miraculous. We bought some cool toys which broke that night. They were REALLY fun though for a short time. I suppose that's what counts. The fun and inspiration trumps liars, cheats, bad food, and cheap toys.

The kids remember the fun.

Butte Wood burning

2009-06-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Tonight the news talked about Butte County's wood burning limit plans. You can bet that Shasta county will follow in some way over the next few years. Actually, it didn't sound too bad though it left me with questions.

The good part is that EPA certified appliances are exempt. The first EPA regulations became law in 1992. 7.5 grams an hour of PM10 emissions. The average emissions up to that time had been about 50gph. New regulations from the EPA are bringing the standards down to 3 gph. That means more heat, from less wood, and cleaner air - that is win, win, win!

Also, people proving hardship can be exempt.

The bad part is, I don't know how you prove hardship. Who decides whether you can afford a $400 or $700 electric bill, or $350 propane bill? In today's economy who will be the stove police? I really despise systems which use neighbors to tell on each other.

It's going to get hot! = Coolers

2009-04-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

The first 90 degree weekend is here - in only April!! Start thinking about your swamp cooler. These are simple machines but they require maintenance to operate correctly and well.

Swamp coolers, actually called "evaporative coolers", have been around a long time. Before electricity they would have been a 'spring box', or just 'cooler', or maybe just 'sweat'. These all cool by evaporation. Water is spread over an area, air is moved across it, the water evaporates and the air/surface is cooled. The higher the wind speed, the higher the temperature, and the lower the humidity the higher the evaporation rate and the cooler the cooling.

When it hits 115 degrees with a wind the moisture is drawn out of every living thing around here and the humidity goes up. If the humidity gets much over 30% an evaporative cooler really doesn't work. However, for much of the hot season in Shasta County they work well and are economical.

Generally a cooler will take the temperature down 20 to 30 degrees below ambient. So, if it's 110 out it could cool to 80. Coming in from 110 80 seems pretty cool. Moving from 60 to 80 and 80 seems hot. If adjusted correctly a cooler will add little humidity to a home. An air conditioner dries a home out.

For a cooler to work properly it needs new, clean pads. We like the 'aspen' wood pads over the plastic ones but there is much debate over that. The cooler should be clean, lubed, the belt adjusted correctly. On the water supply side - the water must get to the cooler. Often exposed pipe freezes and splits in the winter. The float must be operable and correctly adjusted, the pump must work and the distribution lines open.

Coolers can be had in 110 or 220 volt systems. Mine runs 24 hours a day through the warm months and costs about $50 a month to operate. It is not a 'normal' evaporative cooler. It has a single inlet, a pad that looks like corrugated cardboard, and it runs on a thermostat. There are various models of this style available.

Commercial or residential, kept in good condition evaporative coolers are a good buy in our climate.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
Redding, Ca.
221 3331

Water Ruins Chimneys

2009-02-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

Now that winter has come and the rain is falling we see water saturated chimneys. Water penetration in a masonry chimney will erode mortar between liners and bricks by leaching the lime out. This could make the chimney unsafe to use and leads to expensive repairs. A chimney cap keeps the bulk of the rain out. Sealing the crown and flashing stops water at these two common areas of penetration.

Another way to ruin a chimney by moisture is to paint it. This traps moisture inside the masonry and leads to the same problems mentioned above. This is much more difficult to fix though since stripping the paint is a necessity. Chimneys need to breathe to stay healthy.

Using chimney systems helps to keep them dry. Unused or rarely used systems can develop mold and fungi growths which may adversely affect your health.

Professional chimney sweeps have the products and tools to keep your chimney warm and dry.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season

Small Business Plague Strategies

2009-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

It's like watching a plague creep through town. Another vacant store front or office space - a former business gone. The stress on the person going out of business is crushing. You go from idealistic hope as you make a plan and open your business, to the satisfaction of getting it moving and working hard, then realizing you are beginning to sink, to a lack of air with its writhing denial, to closed, dead, beaten. Debt has piled up. Relationships are broken. The future...

Small businesses have always been fragile.Most of us who own them aren't business people. We have a product or service that we know or love, need a job, and we start. There is no safety net for the small business owner. Generally there is no unemployment insurance, no workman's comp, no social support. Every day you need to get up and find a job - get the phone to ring, get someone to come through the door. It is a risky endeavor and not suited for everyone.

On the positive side it's fun to be in the fray, the competition. Making a sale, depositing money that's come in from your efforts, planning the next move, beating the competitor this time, losing the next... What a great game.

I know how it feels... to be $26000 overdrawn in my checking account. I know what it is to work for a year and find, when the dust settles, I've lost 10k. I've sat waiting for the phone to ring, laying off employees, looking for ways to make myself skinny. I've been in a sinking boat. I feel for those business owners and their employees who are facing the maw of the asset eating monster.

There is a point of no return,when you have no choice but to fold up and start over. Starting over, first in your mind, is the beginning of the return to life. Sometimes this can be done before your business crashes - and you will survive.

Who are likely survivors? First it is the people who are Other Centered. Selfish people don't survive. Business people who are appreciative, and demonstrate it, who are realistically optimistic - looking for the good around them. Good always exists even in the worst of times. The person who can find it has great survival skills. Givers gain. In life or business the takers lose. Loyalty - which is another word for serving, which is another word for servant and involves listening, obeying, humility, and takes us back to being other oriented. Not a common trait in us who love the game. Then there is integrity, the quality where our inner and outer person is the same. This is a constant process - to align ourselves with ourselves.

Survivors don't blame shift. If we fail it's not the economy, the government regulations, the employees, the ungrateful customers, the spouse... If we were better people, if we had clearer vision to have seen it coming, if we were better leaders or lovers we might have survived.

Having friends really helps. I only said likely survivors above because good people can, and do, fail in business. But good people generally have better immune systems which get them through, scarred but alive, to make another run. They also have more friends. If you have enough friends you might win Dancing With The Stars, even if you are not such a great dancer. To have friends we in business need to move from a sales culture to a relational one. Having friends means someone cares as we go down and can lift us back up.

This sort of rumination might be good only in hindsight. The Village Toys had friends, publicity, and were good people but still couldn't survive. Sometimes we just have the wrong business in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's part of being in business for yourself. It's a risk.

People don't have to put up with products or services that don't deliver. When our business fails, on some level, it was not good enough. We reject shoddy products, poison personalities, and self serving "service". People know when their time is being wasted. We are loyal to businesses that treat us well. Without these traits there is little chance for surviving the plague of business failure around us.

Help can be found. For the business person help can be found in joining a networking group like the Chamber of Commerce or BNI. There are business coaches like Ellen Rohr at Bare Bones Business. For some trades and industries there are trade associations and peer to peer groups which provide support. New to Redding and free this year is Angie's List. Though this is for consumers it helps small businesses be better since consumers rate us. When bad businesses get weeded out good businesses have more of a chance to thrive. SCORE is a free small business counseling service. Use these resources. Maybe you can escape the plague.

Give up smoking (chimneys)!

2009-01-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when flue smoking problems arise. 90% of the time wood stove smoking is caused by a plugged spark arrestor. This is the screen on top of the chimney. The smoke in the home is irritating. Worse, the densified soot in the screen can catch fire, drip on to a roof, and potentially, slide down to a gutter, deck, or valley and catch debris on fire.

The easiest way to head this problem off is to visually inspect the screen regularly. This can often be done from the ground. Starting with a clean screen, find a place where you can see sky through it, under the rain cover. Sometimes you can see this as you drive in each day. If it starts plugging up you will either need to go up and brush the screen manually, or, if it is inaccessible, you can shoot at it with a pellet gun and knock enough soot off to get by.

I burned my stove for nine years and never cleaned the screen, just to see how long I could go. It finally plugged when I burned an artificial log. However the record among our customers for plugging a screen, from a new installation is just under three days! So, it can happen quickly under the right conditions.

The best way to clog your system is to burn with the air shut down. Lack of air equals a dirty burn. If you think it saves wood think again. Would you drive your car with the choke on to save gas? If you think you might save gas that way then block your air intake and drive around for a little while. You'll then understand what I'm saying.

The next best way to plug it up is to burn trash, paper, and artificial logs - none of which are supposed to be burned in a stove or fireplace.

So burn dry wood, with plenty of air, and breathe easy through the burn season.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
530 221 3331

Skiing At The Ski Park Report

2009-01-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

I take Wednesdays off after Christmas and go skiing with my grandkids. Needless to say the snow pack is disappointing - More for the Ski Park Corporation than anyone. But we are still eeking out pretty good ski days when it seems like it's all over.

Last week the snow on the upper mountain corned up nicely. This was good skiing but unwanted in January.

Today I was mostly on the beginner lift (Marmot) teaching the newest three year old. The snow was decent but more and more dirt, rocks, and sticks are coming through. Coyote lift was closed.

The snow on the back side of Douglas was excellent.

Pray for snow, please. If not for skiing then at least for the businesses supported by water being in the lake and, especially, to hold off fire season. Another plus side of more snow is the fun you can have on Mounts Shasta and Lassen well into the summer.

Rising Heat Costs - Home Heat Cost Comparison

2009-01-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

With the threat, particularly in the City of Redding, for electrical price hikes and the already high propane and electrical cost in the County, you may be wondering if a new heat system is worth purchasing.

Although this interactive fuel comparison chart does not answer all the questions, such as how long it takes to get your investment back in energy savings, it does make it easy to compare relative fuel costs.

Local firewood costs run from near free, (you cut your own + gas, time, and equipment costs), to $350 per cord. Purchased wood averages about $260 per cord.

Pellets range from $240 to $300 per ton.

Chimney Fires And Home Heating: 540 deaths

2009-01-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Failure to clean chimneys accounted for 16,500 fires per year, or, 25% of the total confined or unconfined home heating fires from 2003 through 2006. Failure to clean chimneys accounted for 60% of the confined (stayed in the chimney) flue fires in the same time period.

This reflects, in 2006, 64,100 home structural fires, 540 civilian deaths, and 943 million in direct property damage.

This information is from the latest NFPA statistics document.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2009-01-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

I love snow. I love frozen water. I love sliding through it on skis - XC or downhill. I love sleeping in a snow cave. I love pitching a tent on a stomped out platform. I love the sharp contrasts snow provides, the crystalline sky, a full blown winter storm, trees covered in white. The silence. I love snow.

There is not enough of it. I have this constant inner tension until there is enough to last well into summer. I used to love it because it covered up my messy yard. But now I live down here in the valley. The high, icy places continually call me.

I'm going to take my grandchildren snow camping this winter. I think they'll love sleeping in ice, the deep comfort of a warm sleeping bag after the cold, the blue shadows on the wall, the silence regardless of the storm outside.

I love snow.
So far, there isn't nearly enough of it.

Pray with me -
For snow.

Is There A $300 Tax Credit for wood Stove Purchases??

2009-01-03T18:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure. There is a tax credit for biomass fueled appliances of 75% efficiency or more purchased in 2009. Below is the link to the Hearth, Patio, and Bar-B-Que Association question and answer page, (The HPBA is a trade association of retailers) . It seems clear that there is a tax credit but which wood or pellet stove qualifies is vague, to say the least.
HPBA

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
Redding, Ca.
221 3331
www.flueseason.com

You Have A Fire In Your Home.

2008-12-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

Most homes contain a fire. The fire usually is kept and controlled within some sort of special chamber. This fire may be a pilot light. It could be the flame in a gas clothes dryer or water heater. A gas cook stove provides a fire in the home. Of course, we usually think of wood burning when we think of fires in a home. However, regardless of the fuel source or use application, if that fire breaks outside of it's container, the home, and those in it, will be at risk.

The 'container' is one of the main keys to fire safety at home. Venting systems including chimneys and dryer vents contain the heat and flue gases generated through burning and allow them safe passage to the outside. These systems should be inspected for damage, correct installation, or blockage. Fireboxes - whether an open fireplace, a gas burner, or wood stove need to be checked regularly - usually annually.

There are three levels of inspection. Level one is a simple visual inspection. Level two is more involved and usually uses a special camera inside the flue to look at areas impossible or not easily accessed in any other way. This is the standard for real estate transfers among other applications. Level three involves some sort of destruction for access to the area needing inspection.

You can see some of the damage found in this Chimneys Across America video. Gaps in mortar, cracks in linings or fireboxes, over-heated or mis-installed metal chimneys all may allow heat to escape the 'container'. Regular inspection checks for these conditions.

There are several certifying agencies with regard to chimney professionals:
C.S.I.A. The Chimney Safety Institute of America. This is the education and certification agency for professional chimney sweeps. A CSIA certified chimney sweep has shown that he or she understands the basics of chimney related processes. There are four CSIA certified sweeps in Shasta County. This certification must be renewed every three years. CSIA also has a dryer vent technician certification called C-DET.

N.F.I. The National Fireplace Institute is an arm of the Hearth Products Association. It provides classes and technical proficiency certification for hearth related products such as wood, gas, and pellet burning appliances. There are two NFI Certified gas techs in Shasta County.

F.I.R.E. The Fire Investigation and Research Foundation provides training, education, and certification specifically related to fire investigation and hearth product system inspection. There are two FIRE Certified inspectors in Shasta County.

All of these agencies and those who commit to being tested and certified by them have one goal: To competently be able to check the fire container in your home. It's a fire in your home. Have someone who knows about it evaluate it.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
Redding, Ca.
221 3331

Burning Wood Will Kill You - The Other Side

2008-12-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

Some California Counties have instituted mandatory or voluntary no burn days. This is particularly true in air districts which are out of Federal or State particulate pollution compliance.
I'd like to say "Phooey!" but it wouldn't be true. Wood stove emissions do pollute.

Anyone who has tried walking in certain neighborhoods, especially in the early morning or evening, has smelled the creosote in the air - and it is not pleasant. It is especially unpleasant if you live downwind from such a device, and worse if you have allergies.

First, let me say, I agree that, in certain densely populated areas, wood heat is probably not the best choice - from a population and pollution density standpoint. There other standpoints such as economic, geophysical, and efficiency. Also, the majority of wood burning pollution is caused by poor burning habits and old technology.

So, shut down all wood burning - Right?

Wrong.

In the late eighties when the EPA was cracking down on wood smoke pollution the wood stove industry was facing extinction. They didn't have the mounds of money to buy off Washington like, say, the auto makers. They were told, "Clean up or you are out of business."

Now the funny thing was that the wood burning trend began in the 70's as a "green" back-to-the-land- movement that cared about the environment and wanted off big oil. Now these guys were being called 'gross polluters' and it bummed them out.

Lab tests used kiln dried doug fir to standardize the testing. The stoves burned great, in the lab - then Mr. Homeowner, with wet wood, shut all the air off to the fire, and filled the neighborhood with yuk. The manufacturers knew that if their appliances didn't work in the real world the Feds would put them out of business. The R & R and testing was expensive. In 1986 there were over 400 stove manufactuerers in the USA. In 1992 there were 30.

They began running tests in various air basins across the country. Klamath Falls was one such place. The EPA emissions regulation called for not more than 7.5 grams per hour of PM 10 emissions, (the size particle you breathe in but doesn't come back out). They hooked up monitors to a dozen or so non certified wood burning stove chimneys. The homeowners bought their normal wood. They burned their normal way. These appliances averaged 48 gph of PM 10 emissions. Half way through the season they took these stoves out and installed various EPA Certified models which averaged under 6 gph - Same wood. Same burning habits. Now that's progress!

There are wood stoves built today putting out under three gph of emission. That means efficiency - more heat, less wood, less pollutants. Everybody wins, in most places.

Mandatory no burn days caused brown outs in the Pacific Northwest and Reno once ran out of Natural gas due to the increased demand for alternatives to wood. Some people have no other source of heat. Others can't afford the high electric or propane bills. There isn't enough money to hire stove police - try to get that into the California budget!

What can be done?
Mammoth Lakes and the Tahoe basin are two places which had sunset clauses for non certified wood burning appliance use. Mammoth has a license policy, sort of like a liquor license - only so many permits issued, and the permits can be bought and sold. InTahoe, after a certain date, all appliances had to meet EPA standards. This included most open fireplaces though some large lodges were exempted.

Shasta County has had a policy since, (I think), 1994: All new wood burning systems must meet EPA, and that no non EPA certified used stoves can be bought or sold in the County. Little by little the old stoves are headed for the scrap pile. Thus, Shasta County avoided Butte County's problem where:
One problem with the Tahoe Sunset clause was that an enterprising guy went up there, hauled the polluting stoves off cheap, painted them, and re-sold them in Butte County. This polluted Chico all the more.

Kern County had a moratorium on wood burning stoves being put into new construction.

Getting the old technology out and the new in is a big step toward solving most of the wood smoke pollution problems in these counties. The new EPA regulations are aiming at around 3.5 gph of emissions. The manufactuerers are hitting that mark already!

There are other regulatory ideas such as regulating firewood sales etc. But why do we need more regulations? Stove police??? No!

People who burn green or wet wood suffer the consequences of fires that won't light and put off less heat. There are still those ignorant burners who think that sticking green wood on the stove and shutting off the air (not easily done on certified stoves) is the most economical way to burn. They might consider driving their truck with the choke on to save gas but they probably think that would be stupid. It's the same thing though. And, it is stupid. It wastes wood, loses heat, and pollutes the air.

Education works. Old technology stoves exchnged for the new stoves works. Mandatory no leaf or doorstep trash burning works. (Wood stoves are often blamed for this pollution since the air samplers, in many areas, cannot distinguish between particles emitted from an open or closed burn source.) Trash and leaf piles burned in the open or in cans are huge sources of pollution. Mandatory no burn days for non EPA certified appliances works.

Outright banning of wood burning lacks the creativity needed to actually deal with the problem of air pollution. It doesn't have to be either/or, all or nothing. That is the solution for regulators who don't want to do work - maybe that's the true energy shortage.

Meanwhile, if your neighbors smoke is killing you go and talk to them. Get a professional chimney sweep out to teach them how to burn correctly. Get them some dry wood. If they refuse to listen then go to the air quality control board and file a complaint. They will help you breathe easy and your neighbor to burn well.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
www.flueseason.com
221 3331
Redding, Ca.

Christmas Cards Late?

2008-12-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

Haven't mailed Christmas Cards yet? Do you wish to send cards but forget or put it off until it's too late? Do you run out of cards, or just don't have time to buy, write, stuff, lick, address, stamp, and mail your cards?

What if you could send a real greeting card (not an e-card), personal, in your own handwriting, with a real first class stamp, in the time it takes to send an email, for under a dollar? What if you could sent a card to a whole group of people at once sort of like an email?

What if the printing, stuffing, addressing, stamping, and mailing was done by someone else, for under that dollar? What if you could create your cards anytime (when you have time) in the year and set them to 'send' on a specific date automatically? What if you could add money or a gift without having to go buy it?

What if you were always reminded ten days before someone's anniversary or birthday so you'd never have to remember it again?
Check out Send Out Cards. Send a card for free. No spam. No sales pressure. It's just a cool system that easily lets you express your care for family, friends, or clients. If the link doesn't work just paste www.sendoutcards.com/20017 into your browser.

This link is connected to the local and well known chimney company Flue Season Chimney Sweeps. We don't want to embarrass ourselves or you. This system truly is a jewel.

For business or personal use, this system helps to cement relationships. It's easy and fun. And, did I mention cheap and fast? Try Send Out Cards for free. Send a card to whoever is popping into your mind. Make some great relational points for yourself.

If you love people you'll love Send Out Cards.
If it disappoints you - I'm right here, visible, in Shasta County. Phone or email me a rant. If you love it I'll show you, (if you ask), creative ways to use it to build your business or friendships.
Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
Redding, Ca.
221 3331
flue@charter.net
www.flueseason.com

Chimney Sweep Log Not Responsible

2008-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

We get calls from people regularly who decided to save money by using a chimney sweep log rather than hire a chimney professional. Their stove or fireplace is smoking. The home stinks. They are mad at the log!

The first question might be, "Do chemical chimney cleaners work?" The answer is a very qualified "maybe". The old Red Devil brand cleaner's main ingredient was sodium chloride - yeah, table salt. Before we laugh it off the table I'll explain the principle. Have you ever seen salt glazed ceramic pottery? When the pots are fired in a wood fired kiln salt is thrown in which creates a glaze on the ceramics.

The idea is similar in a chimney. The salt would glaze on the soot which would get heavy and fall off. It didn't work - or rather semi-worked in a very narrow range of circumstances. It was also extremely corrosive to metal. The newer version's main ingredient is cupric chloride which is not as corrosive as salt.

More modern chemical cleaners, including some chimney sweep logs, (there are several versions), use a manganese compound. This chemical has a reaction with carbon in creosote, if the chimney is hot enough, makes it flaky, and, possibly, it falls down the flue where it promptly plugs it up.

There are two items to note here.
The first is, 'if the chimney is hot enough'. If the chimney is hot enough there wouldn't be any creosote. Creosote, or any deposit in the flue, is a result of condensation. If the flue stays warm enough there will never be anything in it - at least in theory. But that theoretical reality is pretty close to the actuality in the real world. Burn hot.

The second item to note is:
'it falls down the flue'. The chimney sweep log or any chemical cleaner, if it has done it's job, can't clean up after itself and the chimney gets plugged up. This is annoying at best and deadly at worst.

The problem isn't the log. The problem is the person expecting a "thing" to do what only a trained specialist can do. A log doesn't know if it "cleaned" a flue. It can't tell if it plugged the flue. How could it know if the chimney was damaged, deteriorated or misinstalled?

Few people would expect a can of 'Engine Tune Up' to substitute for the work of a trained mechanic. Those who do hold that expectation have the car to prove it - usually parked on the side of their house.

Save your money. Professional sweeps know when a chemical cleaner is needed, which one to use, and how to apply it for best results. Problems requiring the use of these products indicate a more serious problem.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
Redding, California
www.flueseason.com
221 3331

Fire Threat Looms Large

2008-12-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

This year many people have returned to wood burning. Even though the price of oil has dropped, the price of propane is still very high, and electric rates outside of the City of Redding are prohibitive for most people to heat with. People who bought wood for the coming winter last summer won't want to waste it.

This scenario: Unused, or little used, wood burning systems put into use without having them checked = more fires this winter.

Most fires related to wood burning, (80%), are not due to flue fires. They are due to improper installs or deteriorated flues. When documenting damage we often hear, "This has been fine for 60 years, don't tell me there's anything wrong with it!" Then they limp across the room on bad knees or a bum back - something not in their life 50 years ago.

Stuff wears out. Stuff breaks. "Stuff" happens. There was a fire that began near a stove that I installed. A little girl was killed. My guts wrapped in knots over it. It turned out that the fire had nothing to do with the stove but I redoubled my vow to never cut corners on chimney work. Nothing, no amount of money or time, is worth saving a few hundred dollars.

Hire a professional. There are no rules for being a chimney sweep. Anyone can walk out and call themselves a chimney sweep. From Chico to the Oregon border there are four CSIA certified chimney sweeps - in Redding (www.csia.org). Three of them are at Flue Season. There are two NFI gas hearth product certified technicians (www.nficertified.org) - both are at Flue Season. There are three F.I.R.E. certified inspectors north of the Bay Area - all at Flue Season (http://www.f-i-r-e-service.com/mainframe.htm).

We have been hired as professional cause and origin investigators by insurance companies after a loss. We have see what happens when a nice cozy fire becomes a hideous monster. Who do you know who is using there hearth for heat this winter? Encourage them to get the flue checked.

Bob Ferrari
flue@charter.net

Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
P.O. Box 491592
Redding, Ca. 96002
530 221 3331
CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep #1481
FIRE Certified Inspector #FP032
NFI Certified Gas Technician #105093
Ca. Contractor License #510706

Funereal Musing

2008-12-06T06:40:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid people died.

When my Italian grandmothers died they were laid out for us to see - to visit. To my child's eyes it was them laying there but not them. It was weird. It was final. It was real. I touched her dead body. She was dead. We celebrated the death. It was connected to us.

When the funeral was over, the casket was closed, the dirt thrown on the grave, it was over. A passage had been traversed. You had a reference point to move on from. Also, a future had been exposed: I knew this was a part of all life experience.

Then things changed. Death became more sanitized. We cremated the body, tidy and efficient. We held a memorial service and celebrated their life with photos and memories. We were sanguine and pleasant and disconnected. The body didn't matter - we are all really spirits trapped in a body right? We didn't sing any of those hymns with words like, "Where is thy beauty?" or "Where has thy youth flown?" There was no body. There was nobody. They didn't die. They just went away.

This cunning gnosticism (supposedly) kept our children from experiencing unpleasantness and asking those interminable and unanswerable questions. They were left to invent their own rituals when the hamster, rabbit, or dog died. A child's service for a pet is closer to the old ways than the new. But for that you need a body.

This week I attended a funeral at the monastery in Platina. Open coffin. Kissing her good bye. The sound of dirt falling on a box. It was real. It was such a sweet sorrow. The service held her spirit and body together without binding them together. Earth and heaven. Visible and invisible. material and spiritual. Tactile and untouchable. Her grandchildren touched her for the last time.

And I was touched too.

Building Fires In Your House

2008-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

Who would build a fire in their house? People do it all the time - fireplaces, wood stoves etc. - You might not think of it as such but these are fires in the house. They are kept in a container called a stove or fireplace. However, 80% of wood burning related fires are from improper installations. Who checks?

In new construction or remodel the building department might check. If the remodel was 20 years ago and it was good then what could have changed? Question: Were you in better shape 20 years ago? How about a 20 year old car? Different than new? Of course - and it is the same with chimney systems. They wear out, are damaged, or may have been improper to start with.

The guy (or gal) who knows about chimneys is a professional chimney sweep. Our standards in the USA are about caught up with European standards with one difference: Over there, meeting the qualifications for professional sweep standards is mandatory. Over here, meeting the standards is voluntary.

The Three main chimney and inspection certifying organizations in the USA are:
www.csia.org
www.NFIcertified.org
http://www.f-i-r-e-service.com

Also, check out the National Chimney Sweep Guild - www.ncsg.org

Certification means a chimney professional has spent time and money proving that they know something about the fire container in your home - and there are continuing education credits required with time limits for renewal. This helps to keep us up to date.

Check out Flue Season professional chimney sweeps at www.flueseason.com

Flue Season
221 3331

How To Eat A Bug - Creatively

2008-12-02T16:40:00.001-08:00

I was looking at 'my profile' for a marketing seminar I'm teaching in February. It includes, "...has eaten insects." Well, I admit it. And it wasn't just from riding my bike with my mouth open. I've been a mountain guide and once taught a survival course about creative thinking which included sticking things in my mouth I'd rather not think about too much. Farley Mowat, in his book, People Of The Deer, describes eating grubs which grow on Caribou. Then he tracks off into the various parasitical stages and required secondary hosting, which the eater becomes... Yuk. Bottom line is, cook the things if possible.

How do you eat an insect? Of course, one bite at a time. Usually insects are only one bite. For most of us in our culture eating insects is a process in creative thinking. If something is not food to you then you can't eat it. People have died of thirst next to water they considered to be unpalatable. But insects are pretty good nutrition, depending on your options, and we could feed a ton of people quickly if we all liked fly larva. Just talking about it might stamp out world hunger.

Once, when my kids were little, I brought home a box of crickets to try for dinner. I'll give you the recipe below. We fried them up and ate them - not bad, a little fishy tasting. Grass-hoppers are better. Tip: (For the chefs at Rivers), remove the legs before eating. They are like trying to swallow a hair.

A couple days later my wife took one of the kids to the doctor. As the doc was listening with the stethoscope she asked, "Are those butterflys I hear?" That's doctor talk for being cute I guess. The kid, speaking literally, says, "No..., it must be the crickets we ate." My wife dies. The doctor pushes for more info. "What!?" "My dad brought crickets home and we ate them for dinner." "What else do you eat in your family little darling." "Last night we had an octopus." My wife is trying to stammer out an explanation before CPS gets called in - and just manages though Doc is skeptical.

It is the holiday season and just the time for sharing recipes:

Crickets Stuffed With A Peanut

Get rid of the cricket heads and legs; Wash the bugs with water; slice peanuts real thin; It's a lot easier to just leave the peanuts out and smear peanut butter on them; fry in butter with a dash of tamari.

Serving suggestion:

Serve as hors dourves called - 'Eastern Chirp Olives'.

Bob Ferrari

Flue Season Chimney Sweeps

www.flueseason.com

221 3331

Homes Of The Wealthy Prone to Chimney Problems

2008-12-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

If the weather ever cools down enough to build a fire we will begin getting calls for smoking problems. Most people think their system is plugged up and sometimes such is the case. However, if you have a large home, especially if it is multi-story - when we show up we might surprise you by not looking at the fireplace itself as the culprit.

We will look for the obvious blockage first but, assuming there is no blockage, we will ask:

When does it smoke? Just on start up or all the time? In the middle of the night?
Was it windy when it smoked?
Do you use your furnace?
How is the upstairs bathroom used?
Was your HVAC system worked on recently?
Has there been any work done in the attic lately?
Was the home weatherized recently?
Are those recessed "can" lights sealed or unsealed?
Is there a whole house fan?
Is there an evaporative cooler?
Are there any furnace outlets closed?
Etc.
You may wonder what any of this has to do with a fireplace? These are all factors within a home which affect the way air enters and leaves the house. Air movement, (or lack thereof), in and out of the house will determine whether a fireplace functions correctly.

Multi-story homes, high ceilings, and tight construction are more prone to fireplace drafting problems than other homes.

The hidden problem in a smoking fireplace is not the annoying smoke though, it is the possibility of carbon monoxide getting into you.

If you have fireplace problems we are happy to help you solve them.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season
Redding, Ca.
www.flueseason.com
221 3331

Ya Pietchnik - "I Chimney Guy"

2008-11-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

YA PIETCHNIK

(I CHIMNEY GUY)

Russia: The land of the commies, the evil empire, the enemy. We built bomb shelters because of them in the early 60’s. And no Mexican food!! Why go there?

I brought seven young men with me. Six were from the U.S. and one from Moscow. With us were two Orthodox Christian monks from California, and a priest and a layman from Australia. We were on a pilgrimage/mission in which, as it turned out, we were the missionized. We spent thirty days traveling together in Russia. I then met my wife. She had been traveling in another part of the country. (She went to Solovki, an ancient monastery turned concentration camp under the soviets, which Solzhenitsyn had in mind when he wrote the “Gulag”.) The two of us went on to Kiev for ten days to visit friends from California, and to celebrate our twenty-eighth wedding anniversary. We were visiting places holy to the Russian Orthodox Christian Faith to which we are converts.

I have been a mountain guide for twenty-five years, leading various groups into the wilderness for team building or personal growth. This trip was an outgrowth of that. The boys and I spent a week in the backcountry before flying (over the North Pole) to Russia. This gave us a chance to get to know each other and work out potential conflicts as best we could before living in the “glass house” that Americans, especially Orthodox Americans, live in over there. I had a REALLY great group. We spent thirty days crammed in a VW van and a small Russian car (a Sputnik) often not knowing where we would stay the night, and many times going six or seven hours with no food (circumstances beyond our control) with virtually no friction.

We only spent three nights in hotels, $1, $4, and $10 per night respectively. $1 meant the bathroom was down the hall, had no seat and might or might not work, and definitely no toilet paper. $4 meant a working toilet, usually, and maybe a seat, although I generally found a diminished desire to sit on it since other things had arrived first. $10 meant an in-room toilet that worked and a quarter roll of t.p. We made up a grading system for "facilities" ranging from 1 (wear waders and then decide to go outside) to 10 (just like home; there weren't any).

We base camped for ten days at a monastery near the town of Prevolsk, about 7 hours north of Moscow. This area was one of the first to throw in with the Bolsheviks at the time of the revolution. This means they had to prove themselves faithful to the Cause. The persecutions and destruction were more intense here than in some other places. The church in Prevolsk is the center for a small convent of seven nuns and a boarding school for thirty orphan girls. The head of the convent is Mother Evgenia who is only twenty-four years old. In 1988, on the steps of her church, the local Komasol beat a sixteen-year-old boy nearly to death. He was supposed to have been killed but managed to scream before he went down. People came out of church, stopping the beating. The twenty or so men beating the youth said that he had attacked them. They were not charged with wrongdoing. The now 25 year old young man has severe brain damage from the beating. These same people live in and govern the area today. There is a sense of threat just under the surface of the peaceful, picturesque town near the Volga River.

The villages and their environs are mostly log cabins heated with wood. Both the structures and the fuel come from the thick birch forests that cover much of the land. Winter temperatures usually average negative thirty-five degrees. One place had a "good" log cabin for the average price of $800! Each family grows a vegetable garden, which, with fishing, supplies nearly all the household food. Most homes had outhouses and often a banya which is similar to a sauna.

The other Russian house is an apartment. Ubiquitous not only in cities but in rural areas also, each high rise houses several thousand people. In Kiev we estimated being able to see from a single several-block vantage point the housing for sixty thousand people. These apartments are small, usually one or two bedrooms with a tiny living room, kitchen etc. In one rural area there was no indoor toilet for the whole building. These are the remains of collectivization.

In the rural areas, under the communists, the apartment buildings housed the factory and field workers. There are now few working factories. Since the end of communism no one owns the fields and they lie unused. (The Ukraine was an exception to this). Unemployment is high and even those with jobs often get no pay for two or three years. The workday in the rural areas we were in begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Two meals a day is standard, especially for those working at monasteries. The monasteries provide food and a place to sleep, (sometimes a haystack), in return for work. In some places people were sentenced by the courts to work at certain monasteries to pay off misdemeanor offences such as alcohol related problems. In Pochaev the monastery feeds one thousand people twice a day. That is an exception to the norm though. Most places we visited fed six to thirty workers daily.

Some of these workers are skilled craftsmen. A sheet metal worker used only a hammer, one pair of snips, two metal bars as anvil and edge, a ruler and a rudimentary wooden break. He built complicated 'artichoke' domes and a pipe reducer drain funnel with these few tools - and the products looked factory built. I asked him if he had a pattern I could copy for making the domes. But he said he didn't use a pattern; he just knew how to do it. Most of the work we observed was done by hand with basic and well-used tools.

The apartments are heated by steam. In cities and near the rural collectives there are two to three foot diameter pipes exposed, running in and out of buildings and over or along side streets. These carry the heat from wherever the central boilers are to the various buildings. There is no control over the heat. The government turns it on when it thinks its cold enough, usually about mid-November, and shuts it off when it's warm enough, about mid-April. Normally it is very cold at these times. Natural gas is free so people use their cook range ovens for heat during the interim. Electricity is not free so most people use as little as possible. There is also no control over the government-supplied heat in each apartment. It is either on (high), or off (shut off by the government). The buildings can be exceptionally warm in winter and many windows are open. In the summer there is no air conditioning at all.

The Russian stove is a masonry heater similar to Finnish or other Scandinavian-style thermal mass heaters. These are massive heaters built of brick and sometimes covered with hollow ceramic tile panels approximately one and a half inches thick. A heater in a church might be twelve feet square by four or five feet thick. Sometimes there are sleeping areas on top or an inner flue runs out beneath a bed height/size extension. I saw no metal stoves.

When Mother Evgenia understood that I worked on chimneys she asked if I could find out why their stove smoked. I went in expecting an antique cast-iron stove but I found one of these large Russian masonry stoves.

The wall above the stove was stained from smoke seepage. I looked down the chimney, narrowly avoiding electrocution from some uninsulated power supply lines coming low over the chimney. My Australian friend Arsenius, an electrician, pushed my head down just as I began to feel a tingling on the back of my neck. There was no blockage. In fact, there was barely any soot in the unlined 200 year-old flue.

I began to look the stove over. It was built into the wall between a kitchen and dining room. On the kitchen side (about three feet thick and six feet high) the two fireboxes were at the lower left and right edges. Above the left one was an "L" opening with a flat surface for cooking. If you reached across this space in toward the middle of the stove you opened a door into a bake oven in which a person would build a fire to heat it then, I presume, rake the coals out to bake. The chimney split the wall above the "L" area venting the oven and cook surface through holes covered with removable metal discs. The firebox on this side vented into the chimney above the cook surface. There were two warming shelves at different heights in the center on the kitchen side. The right hand firebox was used the most. It vented into the dining room side at the corner lowest and furthest from the chimney. The stove was shortest above it, perhaps five feet high. Here was a flat area. Small children could sleep here or, as in this case, clothing could dry, or pots stored.

The dining room side was approximately eight feet tall and seven feet wide. The chimney came down on the top right. The stove was about eighteen inches thick on this side. There were two ports that I was unsure of regarding the function. Each seemed to have opened at one time into a heat exchange flue but both had been sealed up with mortar. There were no access ports for inspection or cleaning.

I knew there were heat exchange flues inside running either vertical or horizontal. But I had no idea where to begin opening it up to search for the problem. There was a good local chimney guy (pietchnik) and I suggested that M. Evgenia arrange to get together since I am unfamiliar with local construction style.

Our young superior burst into church all in a rush the next morning calling, "Pavle, Pavle (Paul, (my 'church' name, and middle name) come, hurry, the pietchnik is coming! We have to be there when he arrives. He is here on vacation!" I hop in a beat up car with a teenage driver who proves his car can do a hundred miles an hour slaloming between cows, pedestrians, cyclists, and other traffic. He acts nonchalant with one hand on the wheel.

Ruitsev is in his early sixties and is dressed quite casually in slacks and sandals. He explains that he is vacationing but is interested in the work. He lives about forty miles away. We agree on where the problem is, and that the cause is either a blockage or that the mortar is rotten and allowing room air to dilute the draft. He says the channels in the stove are vertical. He won't be able to quote a repair cost until we open it up and he can observe the problem. Thinking of my work truck with thousands of dollars in tools in it, I say that I don't have any tools. He replies, thinking about a hammer, chisel, and trowel, that he doesn't either since he's only here on vacation. Then we stand there waiting for something to happen. We can't converse. He had sent someone to find some tools but I wasn't aware of it.

I had a sixteen-year-old boy, Kolya, who wasn't interested in being there, translating all my conversations. Ruitsev would say something to me and my translator would say nothing. I would ask, "What did he say"? "Oh, nothing, it wasn't important. When will we eat?" I reply, "You're never going to eat again if you don't tell me what's going on." He says, "Nothings going on he just sent someone looking for tools, no big deal." And so on.

The tools arrive. They consist of a flat bar, a small chisel, and a small hammer. Ruitsev says we'll take the top off the stove and look in. I hit the mortar and it crumbles like brittle mud, which it turns out to be. There are five channels in the stove. Ruitsev says it should have been built with three. But if we take one out it should solve the problem. I think rotten mud is the problem but he works on these all the time. I figure anything that eases the drafting problem the next time the mortar rots is a good thing. We take off some of the ceramic tiles on the outside and inspect the flues. After a draft test with burning paper Ruitsev says he'll fix it for three hundred rubles, about twelve dollars. Deal! My job is to gut it and get everything ready. Kolya is gushing, " That's a good deal huh? I bet that it costs a lot more in America, huh?" (Sure thing kid.)" It probably would cost fifty dollars, huh?" ("Yea, yea, 50 bucks; $2500.00 is more like it".) But I just nod and smile. Ruitsev said he builds a whole stove for about two-hundred dollars.

I told Ruitsev that I'd have everything ready on the morrow. "Where should I buy mortar?" "Buy mortar???" I explained how I go about it in the U.S. He responds that there is nowhere to buy mortar. You don't buy mortar. You dig it. "OOOO.KKKK. Where do you dig it? Is there a quarry or something?" "You dig it anywhere. Then find some sand." Now I understand why the mortar came apart so easily. It really was mud.

A few of my boys came and dug surprisingly good clay behind the dormitory. There was also a sand pile. Actually there were sand piles everywhere we traveled, but I never realized their import. I asked Ruitsev about refractory bricks and mortar. He said they have them but they only use them in factories. That is the only place flues are lined also.

The inner baffles are of regular red clay brick and easily removable. I did all the prep work and went out to find my mortar getters. When I found them Kolya was furious. Apparently every worker who walked by told him we were preparing it wrong. But each man differed regarding the correct method. We were supposed to get four buckets of clay and two of sand and soak the clay in water for twenty-four hours. There was no lime and this is normal. I had increased the amount proportional to how much demolition I had done. Kolya was emphatic that I was doing it wrong and had messed up the proportions. He knew this, he said, because he received an "A" grade in mortar mixing at school in Britain. I told him we would stick with Ruitsev's directions and my amounts. It all worked out fine in the end. Ruitsev returned the next day and put everything back together. The stove drafted well.

M. Evgenia was ecstatic and invited us to tea. The water was heated in a wood-fired samovar. They laughed at me taking a picture of such a mundane object. The samovar is a pot with a hollow center and a little grate beneath. A small fire is kindled on the grate and fed with tiny pieces of wood fed down through the hollow part. They put a little stovepipe on top to help it draw. When it boils the whole pot is set on the table and hot water is drawn through a spigot on the front.

There was no good coffee or Mexican food in Russia. (Although there was a Mexican restaurant in Kiev; not too bad.) In thousands of miles we traversed no mountains. These were the big drawbacks of the country, in my opinion. The people often gave us lavish meals, serving all the food they had. There were places where prayer came as easily as breath. Other places you prayed to breathe (grade four and lower "facilities"). The people we met who were spiritual really were spiritual, and the ones who were not really weren't. There was some crossover between the two groups but overall the delineation was clear. Those who had suffered in the "camps" either came out holy in the deepest sense of the word, or hardened and uncaring in the most callous sense.

Outside of a cemetery in St. Petersburg there is one of the many ruined churches that dot the countryside. The domes are torn off. The stone is crumbling from exposure to the tremendous freeze/thaw cycles. The doors have a large padlock on them seeming to lock away hope. The churchyard is overgrown and full of rubble. At the rear the granite is pockmarked at chest/head height. These are the stigmata of bullets that tore through Christians and people who paid the undiscounted admission price of self-denial to gain Life. These martyrs' living hope kept Faith alive in such a way that despite poverty, corrupt government ideology, and hardship, the young people are hastening to follow them, giving their life to others today. This Church is the visual image of my experience in Russia. In the midst of incredible ruin at every level there is something very precious.

I have a good business. I never have repaired a chimney for twelve dollars. I didn't make any money at all over there, although there are an infinite number of needy flues. But I did receive, from people, the scarred stone, and all whose "service business" repairs the inner life, a little spiritual deposit and a reminder of how to "be" regardless of bad government, customers, or in the face of life's disappointments.

Ya pietchnik. I chimney guy. At the time of writing this it is the peak work season. This year it doesn't seem so pressured and tangled and blurry. I think I'll make pretty good money; we'll see if I make a good living.

Spaceebo (thank you), dosveedanya (good bye).

Bob Ferrari

Flue Season Chimney Sweeps

Redding, Ca.

Thanksgiving Day, 2008

Times are Good for Chimney Sweeps

2008-11-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

As recently as the 1930's there were still children sweeping chimneys in parts of Europe. One was killed when he touched a power line while waving to his master that he'd reached the top in 1935 Italy.

Children were used to sweep chimneys beginning several hundred years ago. When a family could not afford to feed their children through the winter one available option was to sell one or more to a chimney sweep - or, actually, to a trader who would take them to the big cities and sell them to chimney sweeps. These were children usually about 6 to 12 years old.
Life was tough. Fed little to keep them small, breathing soot, working high in chimneys, cold and hungry, they often died young from illness or injuries. One of the earliest documented industrial illness was the lung disease in these young workers.

The chimney sweep master swept chimneys for free until the late 19th century. He made money selling soot as a soil amendment. This freebie stopped with the advent of chemical fertilizers. You can see why Robert L Stevenson listed "winos, sailors, and chimneys sweeps" among the low lifes along the harbor.

Laws were passed against child labor. Sweeps turned to using geese and chickens. They'd tie their legs together and toss them down the flue. The bird's terrified flapping knocked soot off the flue liner. I've seen this done in the former soviet republic of Georgia. This wasn't any healthier for birds than children and eventually the practice was outlawed. Now I do it??? Go figure.

However times are good for modern sweeps. The trade was dead in the USA until the 1973 oil embargo. Suddenly we were all back-to-the-land people, chopping our own oil independent wood and heating our oil independent homes, sort of. Wood stove sales boomed and with them the structural fires, smoking problems, and wood lot depletion long known in Europe - before chimney sweeps. 35 years ago a new trade - chimney sweeping - was (re)born in the USA.

2008 has seen a sharp rise in oil prices, followed by an unbelievable drop in price. High oil prices are good for the chimney business. People need to heat their homes more economically and wood is a pretty good choice. A wood stove has the advantage of burning rolled up newspapers or other such fuel if someone can't get firewood. When my son was born we lived in a little rental in Anderson, Ca. and I brought cardboard scraps home from work to burn. That was our sole source of heat.

You can choose from a wide array of hearth products which burn different fuels: Wood, pellet, gas, oil, coal, corn, and a few experimental pelletized fuels like cardboard and farm waste. A modern sweep is a technician who understands why you might choose one system vs. another, how they work, and why, sometimes, they don't work. The technical expertise has surpassed that of a child or goose (some would dispute this) - :-)

Have a great Thanksgiving and Holiday Season. Our homes are warmer and safer than ever before. May they be filled with love and kindness too.

Bob Ferrari
Flue Season Chimney Sweeps
530 221 3331
Redding, Ca.
November 26, 2008