Chimney Liners

Chimney Liners: A Simple Remedy for a Variety of Fireplace and Chimney Issues in Lake Mills

Annual chimney and fireplace inspections do more than keep your Lake Mills fireplace burning well. They also find potential safety or structural hazards … before they become dangerous.

A fairly common revelation during inspections of masonry chimneys is the detection of cracked or damaged clay flue tiles. These tiles line the interior vertical channel that carries smoke up and out. The damage is usually from rapid temperature changes the tiles endure. When fires are started, a blast of heat warms cold tiles very quickly. Over time, the interaction takes a toll.

Cracks in the tiles, even small ones, can allow smoke and gases into the chimney cavity and, potentially, the Lake Mills home. The issue can’t be overlooked.

Luckily, a cost-effective solution exists to replacing or reconstructing damaged flue tiles: a stainless steel chimney liner. Butler Chimneys, the top chimney sweep company in Lake Mills, has installed hundreds of liners in the local area.

Connected to the upper opening of a fireplace, a chimney flue liner is essentially a round tube running the length of the chimney. It carries smoke and gases all the way to the chimney cap, where they are released outdoors. 

Chimney liner installation is typically a one-day project for Butler Chimneys. Flue tiles inside the chimney are broken out. The stainless liner for chimneys is lowered from the cap, and attached to the fireplace piping.

A new flue liner has a lifetime warranty, usually requiring that the fireplace and chimney be inspected annually. It’s a genuine “out of sight, out of mind” remedy to a number of other fireplace issues that can arise - potentially necessitating far more costly repairs.

How do you notice when a chimney liner might be required? A clue is finding efflorescence – a buildup of white, chalky powder – on a chimney’s exterior.

This indicator usually forms when an appliance(s) – such as a furnace or water heater – vents into the chimney. If flue tiles are cracked or damaged, moisture and gases from the appliance(s) can escape into the chimney cavity. They slowly eat away the chimney’s masonry. Efflorescence appears outside as bricks and mortar break down.

If you spot efflorescence, the smart move is to contact Butler Chimneys without hesitation. Once a chimney structure deteriorates to a certain level, remedies get far more complex (and costly).

Chimneys might appear simple. Truth is, they hold vital systems that depend on a sound surrounding structure to function properly. A slight malfunction can put life and home in peril. A chimney liner can fix the issues – and line up your Lake Mills home for better days ahead.