Chimney Relining

by | Apr 26, 2017 | Chimney Maintenance

Your chimney liner is a vital part of your chimney system. It serves many purposes that keep your chimney working safely and efficiently.

  • A clean, smooth liner keeps the air flowing up the chimney unobstructed. When a flue liner becomes damaged, it can cause the air to linger on places in the flue. This leads to creosote and soot buildup in that area. The creosote makes the damage worse, as the chemical elements of creosote is corrosive to masonry.
  • A flue liner protects the masonry from high concentration of heat. The liner is made of refractory materials or is insulated. This is so that the heat from the chimney interior doesn’t reach the masonry or transfer to the materials of the house or chimney supports.
  • The flue liner contains the smoke, particulate matter, and hazardous gases inside the chimney. This is until it escapes outside the house by way of the roof. Masonry is designed to be porous so that these vapors can escape, but the liner prevents this until the hazard is outside the house. If a flue liner becomes damaged it can allow carbon monoxide to seep into the home. Consequently, slowly poisoning the family within.

When You Need a Repair

You probably need a chimney relining if there are pieces of clay tile falling into your fireplace. Other reasons you need to have your chimney relined include:

  • If you change fuel types and your liner isn’t rated for use with your fuel type.
    For instance, clay tile liners aren’t rated for use with all fuel types. Stainless steel, however, is a long-lasting and safe liner for all fuel types.
  • The existing liner is unable to contain the products of combustion.
    Your liner needs to be in good shape to properly vent the water vapors, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other harmful gases.
  • To repair damage caused from natural disasters, fire, lightening, settling, and more.
    If there has been shifting or cracking in the masonry, your liner has probably been affected and needs attention.
  • Updating an old chimney that was not constructed with an adequate liner or which had an ill-sized liner.
  • To properly size the flue for a new appliance. Specifically, pre-fab appliances require a specifically sized flue because of their high efficiency.

Call a Professional

When it’s time to have your chimney relined, you should contact a professional right away. Remember, just because you can buy liners and similar products on the market, doesn’t mean you should. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends only three safe liners: clay tile, stainless steel, and cast-in-place. At RMR we specialize in stainless steel liner installations and encourage all of our customers to choose stainless steel. It lasts the life of your chimney system!

To find out how RMR can assess, repair, and reline your chimney system, call (847) 290-1883 or request an estimate online.