Chimney Liners

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

Yearly chimney and fireplace inspections do more than keep your Saint Lawrence fireplace operating well. They also catch 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 guides 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 leak smoke and gases into the chimney cavity and, potentially, the Saint Lawrence 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 Saint Lawrence, has put in hundreds of liners in the local area.

Coupled to the upper mouth 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 vented outdoors. 

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, normally on condition that the fireplace and chimney are 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 identify when a chimney liner might be needed? A giveaway is seeing 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 deteriorate.

If you spot efflorescence, the advisable move is to contact Butler Chimneys immediately. Once a chimney structure deteriorates to a certain level, remedies get far more complex (and costly).

Chimneys might appear simple. Truth is, they contain 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 Saint Lawrence home for better days ahead.