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Chimney Services in Haddon Township, NJ

About six in ten Haddon Township homes were built before 1960. Some fireplaces from that era have a small door in the hearth floor and a matching iron door in the basement, and both deserve a look.

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Chimney profile
What the numbers suggest for chimneys in Haddon Township
The ash dump, the ash pit and the doors between them
Emptying the ash pit without carrying the fire downstairs
When the doors stop doing their job
Local questions
Sources

Chimney profile: Haddon Township

Census estimates for 7,407 housing units (6,989 occupied).

When homes were built

Before 1940 25%
1940–59 38%
1960–79 27%
1980–99 4%
2000 or later 7%

How occupied homes are heated

Utility gas 76%
Fuel oil 5%
Electricity 17%
Propane 0%
Wood 0%
Other or none 2%

Type of housing

Single-family, detached 63%
Single-family, attached 3%
2–4 units 9%
5+ units 25%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25040 and B25024, via Census Reporter. Estimates have margins of error; small categories are approximate.

What the numbers suggest for chimneys in Haddon Township

Census estimates date about 25% of Haddon Township's 7,407 housing units to 1939 or earlier and 38% to 1940 through 1959, with 27% more from the 1960s and 1970s. Masonry fireplaces and chimneys are typical of houses from those decades, and some include an ash dump and a basement cleanout door. Our guide to chimneys on older homes covers the wider picture.

About 76% of occupied homes heat with utility gas and 17% with electricity, with 5% on oil. In a house with a basement furnace or water heater venting into the chimney, the flue cleanout door near the chimney base belongs to the heating system as much as to the fireplace.

Housing is mixed: about 63% detached houses and 25% in buildings of five or more units. Read them as a sketch of the township, not a report on your own chimney.

The ash dump, the ash pit and the doors between them

An ash dump is a small hinged plate in the firebox floor. Ashes pushed through it drop into an ash pit, a chamber in the chimney base, and come out through a metal door in the basement or outside wall. The Brick Industry Association notes that many fireplaces are built without this feature, for example on slab foundations, so not finding one is normal.

A separate opening, the flue cleanout, sits near the bottom of a flue so debris can be removed. The model residential code text places it within six inches of the flue's base, at least six inches below the lowest pipe entering the chimney, with a noncombustible cover. In a chimney with several flues there may be more than one door, and it pays to know which flue each one serves. Our cleanout door guide explains the parts in detail.

Emptying the ash pit without carrying the fire downstairs

Ash in a pit can look cold long before it is. According to the state Division of Fire Safety, ashes that were not completely put out can keep enough heat to ignite combustibles for several days. Its fireplace safety sheet adds that ash containers should not be left inside the home.

WaitGive the pit days after the last fire, not hours, before opening the door.
Use metalScoop the ash into a metal bucket with a lid; never a paper bag, cardboard box or plastic bin.
Wet itThe state's guidance is to soak the ashes and stir them so all of it is under water.
Take it outStore the covered container outdoors, away from the house, the deck and any woodpile.
Close the doorLatch the cleanout door fully before you walk away.

More on disposal is in our ash disposal guide.

When the doors stop doing their job

The BIA's fireplace construction note says the ash pit door should be metal and fit tightly to limit air leakage. A rusted, warped or missing door lets basement air into the chimney base, and on a flue that also serves a furnace or water heater, a loose cleanout can affect how that flue draws. A plate in the firebox floor that is stuck open, or burned through, lets ash and air move freely between floors.

These parts are checked during a chimney inspection, along with what has collected in the pit. Replacing a worn cleanout door or repairing the hearth around a damaged ash dump is part of firebox repair.

Local questions

How do I know if my fireplace has an ash dump?

Look for a small metal plate, often with a finger tab, in the center or back of the firebox floor. Then look for a matching iron door on the chimney in the basement or on the outside wall. Many fireplaces were built without one.

Can I seal an ash dump I never use?

Often it can be closed off, but the flue cleanout below must stay usable, and the hearth has to remain sound. Raise it at the inspection so the right closure can be chosen for your fireplace.

There are two iron doors on the chimney in our basement. Which is which?

One may open the ash pit under the fireplace and the other the bottom of a furnace or water heater flue. A camera and a look at the chimney's layout during an inspection can tell them apart.

How often should the ash pit be emptied?

Before the ash builds up toward the dump opening. A pit that is full to the top can push ash back into the firebox and makes the dump plate hard to close.

Sources

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