The Importance of Chimney Liners

When you use your fireplace, your chimney’s flue can become extremely hot. One of the primary functions of a chimney liner is to protect your home from heat transfer from the flue to the combustible elements of your house.

Another vital function of a chimney liner is to protect the masonry of your chimney from corrosion. Flue gases are acidic and will eat away bricks and mortar from inside the chimney. When your mortar joints erode, your home’s woodwork becomes prone to combustion, and carbon monoxide poisoning can happen to your home.

Chimney Relining Services You Can Trust

The flue of your chimneys plays the most important role in the venting of your fireplace, stove, or furnace. However, what happens if the liner is damaged?

Flue liner issues such as crack and holes can be dangerous because they can allow heat, moisture, and byproducts to come into contact with nearby flammable materials and walls. They can also infiltrate the home’s air supply, which can compromise the entire system’s structural integrity, efficiency, and safety.

The best way to know the true condition of your chimney liner is to call for professional help. Our technicians from American Chimney Cleaning will schedule a video scan and inspection. During our scan and inspection, we will use a state-of-the-art camera into your flue and evaluate the system from top to bottom. 

We will provide digital documentation of your flue so you will know the condition of your chimney liner. If our technicians find that your flue liner is missing, rusted, crumbling, or full of cracks, we can reline or resurface your flue to bring it back to its efficiency. 

What Causes Damage and Deterioration?

Generally, flue liners are constructed using clay tiles or metal. While both materials can provide long-lasting and effective service, the following can lead to damage and deterioration: 

• Moisture

When moisture finds its way into your chimney flue (usually due to masonry damage, a missing cap, or a damaged crown), it can cause metal liners to rust and corrode and clay tile liners to crack and crumble. 

• House Settling or Earthquakes

Although house settling is normal and earthquakes are rare, both of these scenarios can cause cracks and other damage to clay tile flue liners. 

Advantages of Chimney Relining

Below are the reasons why you should reline or resurface your chimney.   

• To repair damage to the chimney, which may have been caused by a chimney fire, earthquake, settling, and more.
• To upgrade old chimneys that were constructed without chimney liners or have deteriorated or have incomplete parge coating.
• To replace cracked, worn, deteriorated liners, which may be allowing smoke, creosote, or condensation to seep through the chimney walls. This may allow for heat transfer to combustible materials. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), clay flue tiles within a chimney should be replaced when they are cracked, broken, or missing.
• To properly size the chimney for a new appliance, such as converting from wood to gas heat.
• To prevent excessive creosote buildup (and risk of a chimney fire) 

How American Chimney Cleaning can Help

When we reline chimneys, we often use one of two methods, depending on the level of damage and the condition and usage of the system. 

• Stainless Steel Liners

Modern stainless-steel liners are far better than conventional tile flues. They are more efficient and last longer. In fact, most products come with a lifetime warranty, but they should be installed correctly to maximize those benefits. 

When a liner is not installed correctly, it can compromise the safety and durability of the entire system. We usually recommend stainless-steel liners when the clay tile liner is beyond repair or when the chimney was never appropriately lined. These liners are designed to take on the high heat of combustion and effectively vent heating appliances, regardless of fuel type. 

• HeatShield

When the clay tile liner is still in relatively good condition, we recommend that you simply have it repaired or resurfaced it using a sealant known as HeatShield. This sealant can restore and strengthen a clay tile liner. This product can either be applied to specific areas or the entire flue, from to the bottom.

At American Chimney Cleaning, we’ll let you know which is the best option for your chimney. If you have any questions about our chimney relining services, give us a call, and we’ll assist you right away. 

Keep Your Loved Ones Safer and Warmer – Schedule Your Chimney Relining Today!

When your chimney needs some relining or resurfacing, we are the right men for the job! We have more than two decades of extensive experience when it comes to chimney-related concerns. Our technicians are licensed and insured to give you peace of mind. Furthermore, we only use the best materials available and guarantee our work.