A Flammable Chimney

A chimney without a chimney liner (firewall) or a damaged chimney liner is in need of a chimney liner replacement. Take a brief walk around your neighborhood and look to the very top of each home’s chimney. Do you notice any black smears covering the bricks? It looks like someone spilled a can of black paint over the top! This is a sure sign that the chimney has a faulty chimney liner, or no liner at all! This is extremely dangerous, as that black stuff is unfortunately not paint. It’s a combustible residue left over from the burning fireplace called creosote. It’s only a matter of time before the chimney deposit itself will combust! Keep an eye on your chimney’s outside, it can sometimes tell you what’s going on the inside.

A Very Important Protection

Chimney liners are also called flue liners. They are made of one long piece of stainless steel, and coat (or line) the inside of your flue. If you don’t have a chimney liner, the masonry begins to crack from the heat. With constant exposure, the cracks become bigger and bigger, eventually allowing toxic gas from the fireplace exhaust to seep through. Carbon monoxide, one of the toxic gasses, will then be allowed to seep into the home. Carbon monoxide is undetectable, but fatal. It’s so important to keep your home safe, so double check with a chimney professional about inspecting the firewall (chimney liner) in your chimney.

What Else Can It Do?

There are many reasons why the National Fire Protection Association, International Residential Code, the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Chimney Sweep Guild require all chimneys to have a chimney liner. 

1. Improving energy efficiency: by providing the best airflow within the chimney, the fireplace burns more efficiently with less deposit accumulation within. That way, you save energy.
2. Easier maintenance: because they’re made of stainless steel, chimney liners allow for more thorough removal of combustible deposits as service time. 
3. Reducing chances of a chimney fire: chimney liners are the barrier between your home and the toxic gasses released from the fireplace fire. It keeps the temperature of the brick lower, preventing cracks from forming. There’s then less of a chance for home fires.
4. Reducing soot and creosote: remember how we said the top of a chimney with no liner can sometimes look like a bucket of black paint spilled over on top of it? That black paint looking substance is creosote buildup. Creosote is combustible buildup. If it gets too hot, it can catch fire! 
5. Longevity: your chimney structure doesn’t last forever. But, you can prevent its untimely decay by installing a chimney liner, or a chimney liner replacement. Again, it’s so important to keep the brick and mortar in good condition to prevent it from leaking, allowing heat transfer to your home or any further structural damage. 

Worried About Chimney Damage? No worries, Superior Chimney professionals are here to help! Superior Chimney specializes in chimney repair and maintenance all around the Chicagoland area. We are experts in chimney liner replacement and repairs. If you’re worried you don’t have a chimney liner, a chimney professional can check for you. We can even check for any unseen damage. Call Superior Chimney today at 877-244-6349 for an appointment!

This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net