Portland chimney sweep and inspections: Seacoast Chimney for area code 207

Chimneys and homes in the 207 area

The 207 territory takes in all of Maine, from Portland, Biddeford and the southern coast up through Lewiston and Waterville to Bangor and the north woods. It is an old housing stock: of about 740,000 homes and apartments, roughly 56% were built before 1980 and 23% before 1940, and the median home dates from the 1970s. About 70% are single-family detached houses.

Portland is Maine's most populous city and the seat of Cumberland County, with about 68,400 people at the 2020 census and roughly 550,000 in the metro area. The city grew up around commercial shipping, the marine economy and light industry, and the Port of Portland is still one of the busiest tonnage seaports in New England.

Winters are long and cold. NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for Portland International Jetport, ME show about 6,795 heating degree days a year, a January average of 24.0°F, and about 68.7 inches of snow. Repeated freezing and thawing is hard on brick, mortar and chimney crowns, which is why crown repair, repointing and chimney caps come up so often on older homes.

Census figures put heating oil as the main heating fuel in about 59% of occupied homes and propane in about 12%. Wood is the main heat in about 8.8%, one of the higher shares in the country, so many chimneys here see heavy use and creosote builds up quickly. Oil furnaces and boilers vent through a chimney too, and their flues need checking as well. The area falls in IECC climate zone 6A. Whatever the fuel, NFPA 211, the national standard for chimneys, fireplaces and vents, calls for a yearly inspection.

Sources: Census ACS 2018–2022 (B25034, B25040, B25024); NOAA Climate Normals 1991–2020, Portland International Jetport, ME (USW00014764); IECC 2021 climate zones by county (PNNL-33270); NFPA 211; Wikipedia: Portland, Maine.