Chimney Services in Montgomery, NJ
About a third of Montgomery's homes were built in 2000 or later. Many fireplaces from that era are sealed gas units with a glass front, and units installed before 2015 may lack the barrier screen over hot glass that the industry standard now calls for.
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Chimney profile: Montgomery
Census estimates for 8,488 housing units (8,466 occupied).
When homes were built
- Before 1940 5%
- 1940–59 2%
- 1960–79 13%
- 1980–99 45%
- 2000 or later 33%
How occupied homes are heated
- Utility gas 78%
- Fuel oil 7%
- Electricity 13%
- Propane 1%
- Wood 0.1%
- Other or none 1%
Type of housing
- Single-family, detached 71%
- Single-family, attached 17%
- 2–4 units 1%
- 5+ units 11%
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 Montgomery
Census estimates put 33% of Montgomery's 8,488 housing units in the 2000-or-later group and another 45% in the 1980 to 1999 group. Only about one home in five is older than 1980. Fireplaces in houses of those decades are often factory-built units or sealed gas fireplaces with their own vent pipe instead of a masonry flue. How those venting types differ is laid out in direct-vent, B-vent and vent-free gas appliances.
About 78% of occupied homes heat with utility gas, 13% with electricity and 7% with fuel oil, while propane and wood are about 1% or less. With gas at the street for most homes, gas fireplaces and gas logs are a practical option, and a gas furnace or water heater may still vent into a chimney or metal vent of its own.
About 71% of units are detached houses and 17% are attached homes. In a townhouse, a direct-vent fireplace can end at a cap on an outside wall, sometimes close to a walkway or deck. These are township-wide estimates and cannot describe any particular house.
Glass fronts and the barrier screen change
The glass on a gas fireplace gets hot enough to burn. In a statement on the industry's voluntary standard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's chairman said vented gas fireplaces whose glass front exceeds 172°F must be installed with a protective barrier, a change due to take effect in January 2015. The statement urged owners of older units to retrofit a barrier and buyers to look for models with one installed.
Houses built from 2000 through 2014, part of Montgomery's large post-2000 group, predate that change, so a fireplace in one of them may have bare glass. A barrier is usually a fine mesh screen in front of the glass. To find out whether a retrofit kit exists for your model, start with the rating plate and the manual. Our guide on gas fireplace glass and children goes further.
What a yearly check of a direct-vent gas fireplace covers
A sealed gas fireplace has no open flue to sweep, so it is easy to assume it needs nothing. Manufacturers disagree. Valor's installation manual for its 1800 series, as one example, says the unit "should be inspected before use and at least annually by a professional service person," and it asks that control compartments, burners and circulating air passageways be kept clean. The manual also warns that excess lint from carpets or bedding can mean more frequent cleaning.
A yearly gas fireplace service generally looks at:
- The outside vent cap. It needs open air around it. The same manual says the terminal should be positioned where snowdrifts will not cover it. Shrubs, a new deck or stored items can crowd it as well.
- The glass and its seal. On a direct-vent unit, the glass front is part of the sealed combustion system, so cracks, a loose frame or a worn gasket are reasons to stop using it until it is checked.
- Burner, logs and pilot. Logs out of their set positions, dust on the burner and a weak or lazy flame are all things the service visit looks for.
Local questions
My gas fireplace vents through the wall. Does it still need a yearly visit?
Manufacturers generally say yes. Valor's manual, for example, asks for a professional inspection before first use and then every year, and for the burner and air passages to be kept clean.
How can I tell whether my fireplace has a barrier?
Look for a mesh screen mounted in front of the glass. If there is none, the model number on the rating plate lets you check with the manufacturer whether a barrier kit is available.
Snow drifted over the vent cap outside. What should I do?
Do not run the fireplace until the cap is clear. A blocked terminal can keep exhaust from leaving properly. If the unit behaves oddly after the snow is cleared, have it checked before using it again.
Our home is from the 1980s and has a wood fireplace. Does this page apply?
Only partly. A wood-burning fireplace has a masonry or metal flue that needs regular inspection and sweeping, which this page does not cover.
Sources
Related
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GuideDirect-Vent, B-Vent and Vent-Free Gas Appliances
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GuideGas Fireplace Glass and Children
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