Chimney Care Company's Blog

Now is the Perfect Time to Reline Your Chimney!

What sort of shape is your chimney liner in? Within your chimney system, the chimney liner is responsible for the brunt of the work. It keeps your home safe from the heat and smoke that travels up the chimney. It also ensures that air draws effectively through your fireplace and chimney. A failure of the chimney flue can jeopardize the function of your fireplace and put your home at risk. So if your chimney liner isn’t doing its job properly, now is the perfect time to reline your chimney!

The Importance of Your Chimney Liner

If your chimney liner isn’t in great shape, your chimney simply won’t function. A chimney liner that isn’t functioning can make your fireplace unpleasant to use or even put your home in danger. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, your chimney liner serves three main purposes:

• Protecting the building structure from the heat of the fireplace. A chimney structure on its own can’t contain the heat that travels up the chimney from the fireplace. The chimney liner serves to contain the heat from the fireplace so the extreme temperatures that travel up your chimney can’t damage or ignite the surrounding building structure.

• Protecting the chimney structure from fire byproducts. The soot and creosote that result from a burning fireplace are highly corrosive. If allowed to come into contact with the chimney structures, these byproducts would corrode and degrade the chimney structure over time. In addition, the chimney liner acts as a layer of protection for the chimney structure.

• Creating a proper draft for your fireplace. The size and height of your chimney liner matters. The flue that the liner creates is what determines how well your fireplace will draw in air for combustion and send smoke up the chimney. If your chimney liner isn’t the right size for your fireplace, the fire will burn less efficiently, and smoke will also find its way back into your home.

Relining Your Chimney

If your chimney liner isn’t functioning properly, your chimney will need to be relined to keep your home safe or improve the function of your chimney. Common problems include developed cracks or holes due to age and improperly sized liners for your hearth appliance. There are two primary ways for relining chimneys:

• Stainless steel chimney liners. One of the fastest ways to reline a chimney is with a stainless steel chimney liner. To reline the chimney, insert and secure into place a stainless steel liner that’s the right size for your chimney.

• Cerfractory sealant. For masonry chimney liners, a specialized cerfractor cement can be poured down into the chimney then smoothed into place with a specialized plug. As it’s smoothed down, the cement reseals the chimney liner, filling in any cracks, gaps or holes that have degraded the function of the liner.

If your chimney needs to be relined, spring is the perfect time to do it, and Chimney Care Co. help! By relining your chimney now, you can take advantage of lighter chimney service schedules to schedule your chimney service at your convenience. You also know that your chimney will be ready to keep your home safe and your fireplace drafting properly next fall. Call to schedule your appointment today!

How to Know if You Have a Leaky Chimney

Spring rains, along with melting snow and ice, can lead to problems with your chimney — namely, chimney leaks. After a winter’s worth of freezing temperatures, high moisture, and high winds, your chimney can become weakened in a variety of ways that allow water to leak into your home through your chimney. If chimney leaks aren’t addressed quickly, they can lead to serious and expensive problems with your fireplace, your chimney, or even your home structure. To head off chimney leaks before they cause major problems, you should be looking out for the signs of a chimney leak this spring.

Water or rust in your firebox

After a major snow melt or heavy rain, you should take the time to inspect your firebox. Look for signs of moisture or puddles in the bottom of the firebox to be sure that water isn’t coming down the chimney flue. Also, keep your eye out for rust. Even if you don’t see water coming in through the chimney, check all of the metal chimney components, such as the fire grate, fireplace doors, and damper, for rust or warping that could indicate that water is seeping in through the chimney. Chunks of chimney tile at the bottom of the firebox also can indicate that a leak is damaging the interior of your chimney.

Water damage to interior walls or ceilings

When your walls and ceiling start to warp or stain, it’s obvious that water is getting into your home, but it can be difficult to pinpoint the damage. Many people fail to check the chimney for leaks, but the chimney is often to blame. Dark stains, peeling wallpaper, and wavy wallboard on the walls and ceilings near your chimney can indicate that water is leaking in and around the base of your chimney, or even through the chimney walls.

Discoloration on the exterior of the chimney

Staining on the outside of the chimney also can be a sign that your chimney is taking on water. If your chimney masonry shows black, white, or green staining, it’s an indication that the chimney masonry is absorbing and holding water. Rust stains down the side of a masonry or manufactured chimney can indicate that the chimney’s metal cap or chase cover is rusting away, which could allow water into your chimney.

Deterioration of the chimney masonry

After a winter of freezing and thawing temperatures, chimney masonry can begin to break down and let water into the chimney structure and your home. To keep your chimney and your home safe from water damage due to a leaking chimney, the exterior chimney structure should be examined each spring for crumbling mortar and cracked or deteriorating bricks or stone. Any signs of weakness should be inspected by a professional to ensure that water isn’t making its way into the chimney through cracks or holes in the chimney walls.

A leaky chimney is a serious issue that needs to be addressed before it jeopardizes the structure of your chimney or the structure of your home. Take the time this spring to look for the signs of a leaking chimney. If you notice signs that your chimney is leaking, be sure to call the Chimney Care Co. to have your chimney inspected by a professional before the problem gets worse.