Chimney Liners

Chimney Liners: A Simple Fix for a Host of Fireplace and Chimney Problems in Shorewood

Annual chimney and fireplace inspections do more than keep your Shorewood fireplace burning well. They also catch 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 guides smoke up and out. The damage is usually from rapid 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 Shorewood house. The situation can’t be ignored.

Fortunately, a cost-effective alternative exists to replacing or reconstructing damaged flue tiles: a stainless steel chimney liner. Butler Chimneys, the top chimney sweep company in Shorewood, has put in hundreds of liners in the local area.

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

Chimney liner installation is usually 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, typically requiring that the fireplace and chimney are inspected annually. It’s a genuine “out of sight, out of mind” answer to a multitude of other fireplace issues that can arise - potentially requiring far more expensive repairs.

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

This symptom 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 break down.

If you detect efflorescence, the smart move is to contact Butler Chimneys without hesitation. Once a chimney structure breaks down to a certain point, remedies get far more complicated (and costly).

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