HearthMasters Celebrates 40 Years in Business

 

Local Chimney Company Celebrates Forty Years in Business   HearthMasters, Inc. is celebrating forty years in business. Gene Padgitt started the company in 1982 as a one-man chimney sweeping operation, which has grown to become a chimney and fireplace restoration business with multiple employees.   Independence, Missouri, December 9, 2022   Gene Padgitt was laid off from Safeway Foods in the summer of 1982 and was looking for work when he ran across an ad in Mother Earth News Magazine which looked appealing. The ad said a person could earn as much as $49 to sweep a chimney after purchasing $1,600 in equipment, which included a huge vacuum system by August West. Gene consulted with his future brother-in-law, Frank Kithcart, who worked as a chimney sweep in Seattle, and Frank encouraged him to make the plunge. In his first season as a chimney sweep Gene made $10,000 after placing a single ad. It was then that he knew he was onto something that could turn into a full-time profitable business, however, Gene also realized that he didn’t know as much as he needed to, and there was more to it that just sweeping chimneys. In 1986 Marge Padgitt joined the company and took over writing reports and estimates, and marketing. They both attended educational seminars and training by the National Chimney Sweep Guild and other industry organizations and got certified by the Chimney Safety Institute. Together, Gene and Marge built the company with additional employees and services which include diagnosis of performance problems, restoration and building of masonry chimneys, fireplaces, brick ovens, masonry heaters, and more. They do residential, commercial, and government work. Gene is one of only a 32 Certified Heater Masons in the world and has won over a dozen awards for his masonry work. He also specializes in historic chimney restoration, which is quite different than modern chimney restoration. Gene obtained a degree in Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling in 1986, and is an NFI Certified Gas Specialist. He began doing fire investigations in 1996 for a local fire marshal and obtained his State Certified Private Fire Investigator License shortly after. He is the only PFI who specializes in structural fires related to chimneys, fireplaces, and heating appliances in Missouri, Kansas, and other neighboring states, so is in big demand by insurance companies and forensic companies. Marge Padgitt is a Missouri licensed Private Investigator. She is very active in the chimney industry and served on the board of directors for the Midwest Chimney Safety Council for 25 years; and on the board of directors for the National Chimney Sweep Guild; the Midwest Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association; and the Masonry Heater Association of North America. Marge published the MCSC Magazine and her own Wood-Fired Magazine. She is the author of over 250 articles which appeared in magazines and online newspapers nationwide. She has presented free chimney safety seminars to local homeowner groups and associations for many years. Marge wrote “The Chimney and Hearth Pro’s Resource Book,” and “Wood-Fired Heating and Cooking,” which Gene consulted on. She has more books in the works and will bring a new show to her YouTube Channel in January 2023 called “The Chimney Lady.” The show will focus on chimney, fireplace, and heating appliance safety, maintenance, and use. The Padgitts have maintained an office in Independence, Missouri since 1987. Long-term lead employees include Maria McKenzie, Tony Gross, and Ron Schmidt. HearthMasters, Inc. is the only chimney restoration company that holds a Master Mechanical License, which is required in most cities in the greater Kansas City area to do relining of chimneys or installation of hearth appliances.   Contact: Marge Padgitt Email: office@chimkc.com Cell: 816-365-9492

Gene showing a customer what the inside of his chimney looks like by using a chimney camera system.

Marge and Gene Padgitt

Gene Padgitt in his tuxedo with his Karmann Ghia in the 1984 Raytown parade Gene working on an historical chimney in Northeast Kansas City

Historical chimney restoration project on a Queen Anne Victorian home in NE Kansas City Custom built stone masonry heater built by Gene Padgitt

Everything you need to know about Wood-Fired appliances Wood-Fired Heating & Cooking is a guide for homeowners, preppers, and homesteaders who are planning to install a wood-fired heating appliance, improve their existing masonry fireplace, or install a wood-fired cooking appliance. Industry veterans Gene and Marge Padgitt explain how each type of appliance works and how to properly locate, operate, and maintain them. Heating appliances covered in this book are masonry fireplaces, Rumford fireplaces, circulating fireplaces, furnaces, wood-burning fireplace inserts, freestanding stoves, masonry heaters, and rocket mass heaters. Wood selection and preparation is included. Cooking appliances discussed are wood-burning indoor cook stoves, indoor and outdoor brick ovens and oven kits, Tandoori ovens, grills, and campfires along with cooking tools and utensils. More info: www.woodfiredpub.com $15 each or two for $28.00. Available in our office by appointment or order online. _____________________________________________________ Contact: Marge Padgitt  office@chimkc.com 816-365-9492 cell

Masonry chimney repairs should be done in the spring

By Marge Padgitt

Badly spalling bricks on a chimney

If there are pieces of bricks or stones lying around the yard or driveway, it could be a sign that masonry repair is needed. The first place to look for damages by cold, freezing rain, and wind is the chimney since it is the area most exposed to the elements.

Signs that repairs or rebuilding is needed are missing or deteriorating mortar joints, cracked bricks or stones, or faces of masonry popped off. This is due to the penetration of water into the masonry- and when water freezes it expands, which usually results in the face of a brick or stone breaking off.

Badly spalling bricks

Unfortunately, many chimneys are built with soft type bricks rather than hard type bricks due to the cost.  Soft bricks absorb moisture more easily than hard bricks. After a few years, the soft bricks will begin to show damage, but after 30 years any type of brick or stone chimney will likely show damages of some type, if only to the mortar joints.  In some cases, masons have found completely deteriorated bricks with hard mortar left behind. In other cases, the bricks are good but the mortar is severely deteriorated or missing altogether. When this occurs it is a sign that the wrong type of mortar was used.  For this reason, the Midwest Chimney Safety Council recommends that chimneys should be built or reconstructed using hard bricks and the right type of mortar which will last many years longer than those built with soft masonry units.

Mortar deteriorated so badly that
the chimney is falling apart

Mortar sets up better when the work is done in the spring when temperatures are moderate so the curing process can complete without issue. If the temperature is too cold, the mortar can crack and take a long time to cure. If the temperature is too hot the water in the mortar may migrate to surrounding masonry and shrink. Professional masons can control some of this by adding an accelerant in cold weather or soaking bricks in water before using them in hot weather, but they much prefer working with masonry in ideal weather conditions.

Cement cap with drip edge

The cement cap (crown) should be inspected in the spring to assure that it is in good condition with no cracks, deterioration, or lifting. The cap serves as a roof for the chimney and keeps the elements out of the interior chimney chase where rain can cause damage to the interior flue, smoke chamber, damper, and firebox. Any small cracks or gaps should be filled with high temp silicone, but if large cracks, severe deterioration, or missing sections of the cap exist a new cap should be constructed.  As of 2012, the International Residential Code required a poured formed crown with a drip edge to better protect the chimney from damaging rainwater. The old-style crowns with a slope but without a drip edge actually contribute to the fast deterioration of masonry at the top part of the chimney, so this newer style is a big improvement.

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Marge Padgitt is the CEO of HearthMasters, Inc. and HearthMasters Education in Kansas City, Missouri. Contact her at hearthmastersboss@gmail.com.