Chimney Liners
Chimney Liners: A Simple Remedy for a Variety of Fireplace and Chimney Issues in Ozaukee County
Yearly chimney and fireplace inspections do more than keep your Ozaukee County fireplace burning well. They also spot potential safety or structural risks … before they become dangerous.
A fairly common revelation during inspections of masonry chimneys is the identification of cracked or damaged clay flue tiles. These tiles line the interior vertical channel that projects smoke up and out. The damage is usually from sudden 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 little ones, can leak smoke and gases into the chimney cavity and, potentially, the Ozaukee County house. The situation can’t be ignored.
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 Ozaukee County, has put in hundreds of liners in the local area.
Attached to the upper mouth 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 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” remedy to a variety of other fireplace issues that can arise - potentially requiring far more expensive repairs.
How do you notice when a chimney liner might be needed? A symptom is spotting efflorescence – a buildup of white, chalky powder – on a chimney’s exterior.
This symptom 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 leak into the chimney cavity. They slowly eat away the chimney’s masonry. Efflorescence appears outside as bricks and mortar break down.
If you see efflorescence, the advisable move is to contact Butler Chimneys right away. Once a chimney structure deteriorates to a certain level, remedies get far more complicated (and costly).
Chimneys might look simple. Truth is, they hold vital systems that depend on a sound surrounding structure to work properly. A slight malfunction can put life and home in peril. A chimney liner can fix the issues – and line up your Ozaukee County home for better days ahead.