Service area · Camden County

Chimney Services in Pennsauken, NJ

More than half of Pennsauken's homes predate 1960, and an open masonry fireplace is part of that era. Glass doors are a common addition, and the manufacturer's manual says more about using them than many owners expect.

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Chimney profile
What the numbers suggest for chimneys in Pennsauken
Open while it burns, closed when you go to bed
Fitting doors to a decades-old opening
Doors with gas logs
Local questions
Sources

Chimney profile: Pennsauken

Census estimates for 13,653 housing units (12,900 occupied).

When homes were built

Before 1940 19%
1940–59 36%
1960–79 26%
1980–99 11%
2000 or later 8%

How occupied homes are heated

Utility gas 76%
Fuel oil 4%
Electricity 17%
Propane 2%
Wood 0%
Other or none 1%

Type of housing

Single-family, detached 67%
Single-family, attached 10%
2–4 units 11%
5+ units 10%

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 Pennsauken

Pennsauken's 13,653 housing units skew older. Census estimates date 19% to 1939 or earlier, 36% to 1940 through 1959 and 26% to the 1960s and 1970s. Fireplaces from those decades are typically masonry, with firebrick inside a brick chimney, and a house from the 1950s has a fireplace that is now some 70 years old. Our guide to firebox anatomy names the parts.

Gas is the main heat for about 76% of occupied homes, with electricity at 17% and oil at 4%. In a gas-heated house the fireplace tends to be for comfort, which is when owners start thinking about doors, screens or gas logs.

About 67% of units are detached, 10% are attached and 11% sit in two- to four-unit buildings. These are township estimates and say nothing certain about a given fireplace.

Open while it burns, closed when you go to bed

It is easy to assume the doors stay shut during a fire. The manual for Stoll's masonry fireplace enclosures says the opposite: the intended setup during a fire is glass open and mesh screens drawn shut, and the glass can be closed when you retire for the night for spark protection. Other brands may differ, so read the manual for yours.

CSIA gives a reason to take that seriously. It lists closed glass doors among the ways a fire's air supply gets restricted, and notes that restricted air, wet wood and a cool chimney all speed up creosote buildup. The same manual warns that tempered glass can break from impact or excessive heat.

Fitting doors to a decades-old opening

The Stoll manual tells installers not to force the frame to fit a fireplace that is out of plumb or level, to center it in the opening and to fill the gap between frame and brick with the insulation supplied. On an older opening, an uneven face or damaged brick around the top of the opening becomes obvious at this stage.

Have the fireplace inspected before buying doors. A cracked firebox, a damper that does not seal or a rough smoke chamber will not be fixed by glass, and doors can hide a smoking problem without solving it. Repairs come under firebox repair and fireplace repair. Our guide to glass doors and screens goes further.

The Stoll manual cited here covers masonry fireplaces. A factory-built fireplace follows its own manufacturer's instructions on which doors, if any, may be fitted.

Doors with gas logs

For the same enclosures, the manual calls for the same arrangement with gas logs, glass open and screens shut, and that the log set, like any grate or andirons, must leave at least five inches between the fire and the enclosure. A gas log set comes with its own instructions on damper position and clearances, and both manuals apply.

If you plan to add doors and gas logs, choose them together, so the log set fits the opening with room to spare and the door's instructions allow the combination. The inspection before a log installation also confirms the flue and damper are ready for gas use.

Local questions

Can I burn a wood fire with the glass doors closed?

Check your door's manual. One maker's instructions call for the doors open and screens closed during a fire, with the glass closed only once you retire for the night. Burning with the doors shut can restrict air and add creosote.

The glass on our fireplace doors cracked. Can we keep using them?

Stop using the doors until the glass is replaced with the part the manufacturer specifies. Cracked tempered glass can fail suddenly.

Will glass doors stop cold air coming down the chimney?

They help a little, but the damper is the main seal at the throat or top of the flue. If drafts bother you, the damper is the first thing to check.

How should I clean the glass?

Wait until the doors are at room temperature. The Stoll manual also says to avoid cleaners with ammonia; follow your own door's instructions.

Sources

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