If you have ever had a chimney and had it cleaned, you may not have ever considered how this practice started.  Although, who would, right?  It's\ a very interesting story..... In the 16th century, England fireplaces with large chimneys were a status symbol and only the wealthiest of people had them.  This became a source of pride for those families.  Stories around the fireplace, families gathered, holidays spent. This became the norm in wealthy households. As fireplaces became more popular keeping them clean became of much concern.  Chimney Sweeps became the superhero of their time in that they were a source of good health. Clean hearth equals Clean health. As this fireplace trend continued, the English Parliament saw this as an opportunity and enacted what was known as the Hearth Tax. This taxed raised revenue according to the number...

Still Using Coal or Wet Wood? The most polluting fuels are coal and wet wood. (unseasoned wood). This does not mean that your wood-burning fireplace or stove will have to be replaced with a more efficient fuel-burning model, however, it is going to make coal-burning fireplaces and stoves obsolete or will have to be converted. As the sale of coal for home heating will not be available. The premise behind this is to lessen air pollution by improving the quality of fuel we burn in our homes. This means that the two most polluting fuels will be banned. This does not mean that you can not burn wood. It does mean that you can no longer purchase or burn green wood or wood that has not been properly seasoned (ie: dried). During this transition phase, firewood that is sold will be required to have a tag that states “READY TO BURN”, and if you...