Chimney Liners

Chimney Liners: A Simple Remedy for a Variety of Fireplace and Chimney Problems in Oakland

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

A not uncommon revelation during inspections of masonry chimneys is the detection of cracked or damaged clay flue tiles. These tiles line the interior vertical channel that whisks smoke up and out. The damage is usually from sudden temperature changes the tiles endure. When fires are lit, 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 Oakland house. The issue can’t be ignored.

Fortunately, a cost-effective option exists to replacing or reconstructing damaged flue tiles: a stainless steel chimney liner. Butler Chimneys, the top chimney sweep company in Oakland, has put in 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 transfers smoke and gases all the way to the chimney cap, where they are released outside. 

Chimney liner installation is normally 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” answer to a variety of other fireplace issues that can arise - potentially necessitating far more expensive repairs.

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

This indicator usually appears 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 deteriorate.

If you notice efflorescence, the advisable move is to contact Butler Chimneys right away. Once a chimney structure breaks down to a certain level, solutions get far more complicated (and costly).

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