Chimney Liners

Chimney Liners: A Simple Remedy for a Host of Fireplace and Chimney Problems in Lake Five

Yearly chimney and fireplace inspections do more than keep your Lake Five 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 identification of cracked or damaged clay flue tiles. These tiles line the interior vertical channel that projects smoke up and out. The damage is typically 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 little ones, can leak smoke and gases into the chimney cavity and, potentially, the Lake Five house. The problem can’t be overlooked.

Fortunately, 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 Five, 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 vented 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, normally requiring that the fireplace and chimney are inspected annually. It’s a genuine “out of sight, out of mind” fix 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 needed? A clue 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 break down.

If you detect efflorescence, the advisable move is to contact Butler Chimneys immediately. Once a chimney structure deteriorates to a certain point, solutions get far more complicated (and costly).

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