The Digital Thermostat

Here's an "Email Question" I received regarding a "Digital Thermostat".

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I put a digital thermostat on my oil furnace. Just moved in so don't have a lot of history. I'm curious what the temperature range should be for on/off cycles? It seems like it only takes the temp up 1 or 2 degrees above the setting and then is kicking on more often?

It's an Arco Air 85000 btu about 20 years old. Recently serviced and tuned.

Just curious if this is normal or if I need attention?

Thanks for your great website!

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First off, it is normal for a furnace to kick on around 1 to 2 degrees below your temperature setting, and to kick off 1 to 2 degrees above your temperature setting. But here are a few things you can check.

Fly-By-Night Scams

If there's one thing I've learned over the 27 years I've been in the chimney business, it's that if someone thinks they can make a quick buck, they'll probably try. Every year in my area alone, as soon as Fall comes, two or three chimney companies show up out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with a little competition. What I do have a problem with is that these guys will pawn themselves off as Chimney Professionals and have no idea what they are doing nor have the proper equipment to do the job right. They usually over charge the homeowner for what they DIDN'T do, and head off to the next unsuspecting customer. As soon as the cleaning season dies down, they're gone, Never to be heard from again.

A few years back, I had two guys show up at my house in a beat up old pickup truck with a ladder hanging over the back tailgate. They told me they were Chimney Sweeps and were

The Joy of Business Ownership

There's nothing like owning your own business. You have all of the amenities that you always hear about like being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and yadda, yadda, yadda. What you never hear about is the negative side of things. Yes, there are negatives.

Take my business, Buckeye Valley Chimney Service, for example. Just last night our area here in Toronto was hit with 17" of snow. Now, for some reason, not everyone knows that not

Chimney Problems and Solutions

Quite often I receive emails from people from all over the U.S. trying to find solutions to their chimney problems. If you're having a problem you can't figure out, or you're looking for a particular product you can't seem to find, there's a nifty little form on my "Technical Page" on my website. Just fill it out and hit submit. Here is one I just received last night

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My problem, I have a air tight woodstove I burn hot fires daily , to keep creosote build up minimum, I have 6 in stainless pipe no bends , I burn such hot fires the cap condensates and drips the nasty tar on my roof, from the cap, I was told to take the cap off

The Smoking Fireplace

Well, I just finished working on and adding a new page to my website, BuckeyeValleyChimneyService.com . The page I just added was related to a topic that I get questions about year after year so I thought it might be worth putting some information up for everyone to see.

The haunting question I'm talking about is:

Why is my Fireplace Smoking into the room?

Granted there could be hundreds of reasons for this from weather to home construction, but on my site I have touched on the two most common problems I run into. Not only do I explain why the fireplace may be smoking but I also give the solution.

If you have a fireplace or know somebody with one, you may want to check out this page. The information may save some smoke damage or may even help to get a fireplace that you haven't been using up and running. Click HERE to go over to my website and see what I'm talking about.

Have a great day and most of all......Learn Something.

What Have I Done???

I've been in the chimney business since 1987. Finally, after all that time I've decided to give Blogging a try. I have some good ideas on what I'm trying to do, but I just have to figure out exactly how to do it. That's where the question of "What Have I done?" comes in to play.

Anyhow, I think I'm going to try to pass along some information as it comes available, about some interesting jobs and situations that arise as I'm doing my work. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are having problems with fireplaces and chimneys that I could help out with. There are tons of things people just don't know about chimneys and this seems like an excellent way to educate the masses.