Hudson Chimney

High-quality Chimney Sweep, Chimney Repair, and Chimney Services in Middleburg and Jacksonville, FL and surrounding cities. Hudson Chimney owner Mark Hudson has served northeast Florida and its chimneys since 1979. We are a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), and are also certified with the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Our owner Mark Hudson is a founding member and former President of the Florida Guild of Professional Chimney Sweeps, and is also a member of the Georgia Chimney Sweep Guild, and Southern Association of Chimney Professionals.

Hudson Chimney is located in Middleburg, Florida and has been providing quality, full-service chimney and hearth care since 1979. Whether you're in need of a thorough sweep and inspection or a full fireplace rebuild, Hudson Chimney can help! Mark Hudson (owner and operator of Hudson Chimney) founded the company upon his graduation from the Black Magic Chimney Sweep School in 1979. Education has always been incredibly important to Mark, which is why he went on to receive his CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America), ISC (Independent Safety Commission) and CDET (Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician) certifications, and to become a member of the NCSG (National Chimney Sweep Guild) and the GCSG (Georgia Chimney Sweep Guild).

If you're searching for a reason as to why your energy bill is astronomical, you may want to look up-toward your chimney. If your chimney is not equipped with a top-sealing damper, you can likely blame your drafty chimney. The good news is that installing a fireplace damper is an easy, affordable way to lower your energy bill right away. Previously, dampers were made of cast iron and placed in the throat of a fireplace, but now most modern chimneys are outfitted with top-sealing dampers. Top-sealing dampers are a practical solution for upgrading chimneys in older houses that have never had a damper.

What in the world is tuckpointing? It's a kind of funny name for an ages-old but pretty straightforward task. Tuckpointing is also sometimes called pointing, repointing, or spot pointing, and it gets those names because chimney masons "tuck" mortar into the damaged areas between bricks, using "pointing" trowels to accomplish this. Tuckpointing repairs deteriorating brick and mortar for the purpose of locking out water and extending your chimney's life. A skilled tuck pointer will add many years of life to your chimney because he or she is stopping water from entering your bricks and consequently your chimney and your home.

Anyone who has ever seen the amount of lint that can come out of a dryer venting system during a professional cleaning would not hesitate for even a second to schedule an annual dryer vent cleaning. Dryer lint build-up is one of the most common causes of house fires, but because the dryer vent is hidden from view, it is too easy to put out of mind. However, there can be an immense amount of lint jammed inside your dryer's venting pipe. A highly-combustible material, lint can become a very real fire hazard.

Whether you know just what kind of wood stove or fireplace you want or you need help selecting the best heating appliance for your home, family and budget, Hudson Chimney can help. With several decades of experience sweeping and cleaning chimneys and fireplaces you can trust us to help you choose the right appliance from our selection of wood stoves and fireplaces, gas stoves and fireplaces and gas logs. We proudly carry the Regency, Hampton and Vermont Castingsline of hearth products, which we love for their high quality, good value, clean burning efficiency and beautiful aesthetics.

If you live in northeast Florida and you think your chimney may be leaking, you have come to the right place. Repairing a leaking chimney is one of the worst things to put off, as it can end up requiring extensive masonry work in addition to costly repairs to your walls, ceilings and floors. Talk about a nightmare! During our 30+ years in this business, Hudson Chimney has seen some horrific water damage as a result of leaking chimneys. We want to do everything we can to stop chimney water damage in its tracks or prevent it from happening at all.

The majority of the chimney's parts are hidden from sight. However, much of the chimney's masonry is very much visible. That means it's usually relatively easy to diagnose and repair masonry problems-like efflorescence stains, chipping and crumbling mortar, loose bricks, leaks or leaning chimneys. However, when damage is visible to the naked eye, it generally means that the damage that is unseen is in an advanced stage. That's why it is important to schedule maintenance before you notice these visible signs of problems.

When most people think of Florida homes, they don't think of them having fireplaces. But plenty of us do-not only because the hearth offers warmth during the winter months but also because of the ambience and functionality a fireplace can provide. Even though the chimneys in Florida don't tend to get as much use as those in different parts of the country, they are still vulnerable to the elements, to nesting animals, and to the dangerous build-up of creosote (a flammable, tar-like substance that lines the walls of chimneys that have gone too long uncleaned).

Hudson Chimney is proud to serve as Northeast Florida's chimney and fireplace authority. We are headquartered in Clay County in Middleburg, FL, but we gladly serve a multitude of Florida counties and cities, including Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and Gainesville. We work in the following counties: Clay, Duval, Putnam, St. Johns, Baker, Bradford, Alachua, and Nassau, along with others on request. We also service Southeast Georgia. Give us a call for details. At Hudson Chimney, we are proud to offer complete chimney and fireplace services from trained, reliable professionals.

A chimney liner is a clay, ceramic, or metal pipe installed inside a chimney that's intended to contain combustion products, direct them outside, and protect your chimney's walls from heat and corrosion. We get lots of questions about whether or not chimneys need to be lined, especially because it hasn't always been required. Though the answer depends on how the chimney is used and what residential building codes mandate, we believe that chimneys fitted with a flue liner offer the best and safest performance.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America is one of many national safety organizations that recommends that you have your chimney inspected annually. When inspecting your chimney, the certified chimney professionals at Hudson Chimney are looking for many things. We look for oil soot or wood residue-both flammable substances that can cause blockages-while also checking for moisture or water damage that can cause chimney deterioration. We'll also check that your chimney flue is sized properly, as this is the leading cause of severe damage to chimneys and walls.

Your chimney's exterior is very susceptible to water damage because both brick and mortar are porous materials. According to the Brick Industry Association, chimneys require special attention and maintenance to prevent costly property damage caused by water penetration. Second only to chimney sweeping, (which is paramount for chimney safety), waterproofing your chimney is the best way to add years to it and ensure that everything remains in working order. Most importantly, waterproofing will almost certainly prevent your chimney from leaking (If you think your chimney may already be leaking, you'll want to visit our Leaking Chimney page).

Those of us along the Northeast coast of Florida get our fair share of severe storms and hurricanes - and unfortunately, that can be bad news for our chimneys. Has your chimney been damaged by a recent storm or hurricane? Don't put off repairs! Strong winds and heavy rains can devastate your chimney, ripping up flashing, removing or damaging chase pans and chimney caps, damaging masonry, and causing chimney crowns to wear thin. And if these issues aren't taken care of swiftly, even more damage can be done by water that makes its way into the chimney and home.