Looking for Chimney Relining Near You? Total Chimney Care Is Your Go-to Team
Your chimney liner plays a vital role in the overall safety and performance of your heating system. In most masonry chimneys, this liner is made from clay tiles, but liners can also be constructed from cast-in-place masonry mixtures, aluminum, or durable stainless steel. Regardless of the material, the liner’s primary job is the same: to contain hot gases and direct them safely out of your home, preventing heat and dangerous byproducts from reaching nearby combustible materials like walls, framing, and insulation.
Over time, however, chimney liners can deteriorate. Clay tile liners are especially prone to cracking and breaking down, which allows moisture to seep in – leading to internal damage and structural issues. In metal liners, the sulfur present in smoke can combine with moisture to create a corrosive reaction, gradually eating away at the material and leaving small but dangerous gaps. Reach out with questions.
When a chimney liner is compromised, it puts your home and your family at risk. Without a proper barrier in place, smoke, carbon monoxide, creosote, and moisture can pass through the masonry and into your living space. That’s why maintaining a secure, intact lining system is critical. Contact Total Chimney Care today if you suspect that your chimney liner is on the outs.
What Are the Signs That My Chimney Liner Is Damaged?
Because the chimney liner is out of sight, many homeowners don’t realize there’s an issue until signs of damage begin to show up elsewhere. That’s why annual chimney inspections are so important – our technicians are trained to spot liner problems early, before they turn into serious hazards. Still, there are a few symptoms you can watch for between visits:
- Pieces of clay tile or debris in the firebox. This is often a clear sign that a clay tile liner is cracking or flaking apart.
- Excess smoke in your home. If smoke isn’t venting properly, the liner could be damaged or blocked.
- Strong, unpleasant odors coming from the fireplace. Moisture mixing with creosote and other deposits in a compromised liner can cause foul smells.
- Visible cracks or gaps in the flue. These are sometimes seen during a video inspection or by looking up the chimney with a flashlight.
- Water or rust stains inside the firebox. Moisture entering through a damaged liner can leave visible signs of trouble.
- A chimney that’s no longer drafting well. Liner issues can interfere with airflow, making it harder for smoke and gases to exit efficiently.
- White stains on the exterior brick (efflorescence). This can be caused by moisture pushing through the masonry due to internal liner damage.
If you notice any of these signs, it’s best to stop using your fireplace and schedule a professional inspection right away.
What Are the Risks of Using a Chimney Without a Liner?
Operating a chimney without a liner – or with one that’s deteriorated – can lead to a range of serious safety and performance hiccups. The liner’s job is to contain and channel combustion byproducts like smoke, heat, and gases safely out of your home. Without this protective layer, those harmful substances can escape into the masonry and surrounding areas.
A bare chimney structure is highly vulnerable to heat transfer. This means that the intense temperatures created by a fire can quickly reach and ignite nearby framing or insulation. Carbon monoxide is another major concern. This invisible, odorless gas can easily leak into your home through gaps in an unlined or damaged flue, creating a serious health hazard.
Without a functioning liner, your chimney is also more likely to accumulate creosote unevenly, increasing the risk of a chimney fire. Moisture is also more likely to get into the masonry, weakening the structure over time and leading to pricey repairs.
What Are My Chimney Relining Options?
For metal liners that need replacing, stainless steel liners are the best option. They have a lifetime warranty when installed by a properly trained chimney technician. Make sure to check that the person or company who is doing the installation will not cause you to lose your warranty.
Most of the metal flues that are replaced today are aluminum or galvanized and neither one of these has a warranty associated with them, so we do recommend the stainless steel. However, if you have a clay or mortar type flue you do have another alternative: HeatShield®, a Cerfractory® sealant material that restores the integrity of your chimney’s flue to vent hazardous flue gases from your home.
This specialized sealant is carefully poured into a custom-designed form that is precisely sized for your flue. Once filled, this form is then slowly pulled upwards through the chimney flue using a winch system. As the form ascends, it evenly distributes the sealant across the entire inner surface of the existing clay flue tiles. This process effectively forces the sealant into any cracks, gaps, or crevices present, essentially creating a new, sealed inner liner within your chimney. Watch the video below to learn more about HeatShield® application.
Protect Your Home With a Chimney Relining From Total Chimney Care
If your chimney liner is damaged or missing altogether, now is the time to take action. Total Chimney Care has been relining chimneys for homeowners in New Haven, Fairfield, and the surrounding areas since 1996. We’ll inspect your system, walk you through your options, and make sure you’re set up with a proper lining system that’s capable of doing its job to protect your home.
Don’t wait for problems to get worse – call Total Chimney Care today to schedule your chimney relining appointment and ask about our “sweep you off your feet” guarantee!
Your fireplace and chimney masonry needs to be maintained to provide maximum safety in your home – and we can help with repair and installation to whatever degree is required.