Chimney Care Company's Blog

Does Your Chimney Liner Need To Be Insulated?

You’re sitting in front of your fire, ready for a romantic evening of getting to spend time with your loved one. Or maybe you’re finally going to be having that family night that you’ve been wanting tochimney liner info have, everyone is going to be home, and you’re looking forward to having a movie night, cozied up in front of a snapping fire. Or perhaps you’ve invited friends over for a game night on the coffee table, with a cheerful fire adding to the ambiance. One thing you’re probably not picturing for the evening is a smoke-filled room, with complaints of scratchy throats and watering eyes. That’s what your chimney flue is for, right? Guiding smoke up and out of the chimney. If there are problems with your flue liner, then you may experience smoke problems that you’re just not wanting.

The Reason for Chimney Liners

Your flue liner, or chimney liner, is an important part of your chimney’s anatomy for three main reasons. First, a correctly sized flue makes your chimney run more efficiently . The flue guides smoke through the chimney and out of the house, but did you know that air that helps with combustion is brought into the house through the flue as well? When this exchange takes place, it makes your chimney run correctly and your fire burn efficiently. A chimney liner that fits correctly will help ensure that this exchange is taking place and that your chimney is running as efficiently as possible.

Your chimney liner also protects the inside portions of your home that are close to your fireplace, keeping these areas from overheating and causing a fire to ignite. The brick and mortar on the inside of the chimney are protected from the chemicals in smoke that wear it away as well. Both of these things will protect your home from a chimney fire that could cause major structural damage.

Insulating Your Chimney Liner

Considering the important purposes that your chimney liner fulfills, you may ask yourself if there’s even more that can be done. There is something, and that’s to insulate your liner. If your chimney is located on an outside wall, insulation added around the liner will help keep the flue gases warmer. Not only this, but it will also stop condensation from forming on the liner, and it can also increase upward speed of the flue gases which also helps to increase the efficiency of your fireplace.

If your home doesn’t have a chimney liner, it’s important to think about adding one. When you call Chimney Care Co., if we notice that you don’t have a liner, we’ll recommend adding one. If you do have a liner and it’s cracked or damaged, we’ll recommend the necessary repair work to get it up to standards. We’ll also recommend insulating your chimney liner, especially if your chimney is on an outer wall. Don’t put off giving Chimney Care Co. a call for even a day longer! We’ll make sure your chimney liner is in excellent condition and will also make sure that everything else is working correctly so that you can have a safe, enjoyable winter of using your fireplace.

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Our Brands and Products

At Chimney Care Company, we take care of many different jobs. When you think of Chimney Care, you probably think of the excellence of our chimney care work. We do inspections and cleanings, and we can take care of any repairs or rebuilds, too. The excellence of our work speaks for itself, but there are other things that we do as well. Our showroom is full of specials, from heating appliances to fireplace accessories and anything else you may need to make your fireplace experience safer or easier. If you live in the greater Cincinnati area, you know our reputation for high quality workmanship, and you can count on that high standard to follow us to the showroom as well. Any product we sell will be only the highest quality because we want our customers to be 100% satisfied in their dealings with us each and every time.

Brands and Products

Who doesn’t like the idea of warming up in front of a snapping, crackling fire on a cold winter evening? For many people, when buying a home this is a deal-maker. If the house has a fireplace or a free standing heating appliance, it can seal the deal on purchasing the home. But not every house has a fireplace. That’s where we can help you out! It’s easy to add a gas, wood, or pellet burning stove to your home to add a homey appeal and ambience to any setting. At Chimney Care Company, we sell a wide range of heating appliances in all the top brands to meet any homeowner’s needs or desires. And because we want our customers to be completely satisfied, we often offer big discounts on all the major brands. We’ve offered showroom specials on gas appliances, such as the Hearthstone Tucson Direct Vent Gas Stove, or on wood appliances, such as the Hearthstone Bennington Wood Stove, as well as many others. We research the different brands and the stoves they produce so we know the best stove for any homeowner’s needs.

Installation

After you’ve purchased your appliance, we’ll be ready for the installation process. Our employees are CSIA certified, as well as holding memberships with the National Chimney Sweep Guild, and Hearth, Patio, & Barbeque Association, and our education and training are ongoing, so we’ll install your unit with the highest level of training there is. We’re aware of the regulations of the industry, so you can rest assured that your family will be safe and sound.

Other Products

If you’re looking for fireplace accessories, we can help you out there as well! If there’s something on the market that will help make your fire-burning experience safer or more pleasant, we have it. And we only sell those brands that have proven durability. We stand behind every product we sell. If you’re looking for anything fireplace or burning appliance related, stop by or give us a call today!

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We Offer Many Chimney Repair Services

Although a chimney probably seems like the strongest structure in your home, it can still be affected by the natural effects of weathering. Wind, hot sun, and precipitation can wreak havoc on this

chimney repair

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sturdy structure, and other things can as well. Other types of natural disasters can occur. At times, hurricane winds and precipitation from the east coast can reach as far as Ohio, and this can alter normal weather patterns. Tornadoes aren’t as likely, but can still occur. Flooding and forest fires don’t normally take place in Ohio, either, but they do sometimes happen. Most likely, though, is the possibility of severe ice and snow storms. When these things happen, your chimney can undergo major damage.

Interior Damage

When you hire Chimney Care Co., one thing we’ll check out is the interior of your chimney. We’ll be looking for creosote build-up and damage from an undetected chimney fire. Creosote is the natural by-product of smoke as it flows up the cool interior of your chimney. It is highly flammable and can easily catch a spark from your fire and cause a chimney fire. Although it may seem that you’d know if there was a chimney fire, most often they go undetected because there’s not enough oxygen in the chimney to make the fire get too big. If this is the case, your chimney or the chimney liner may have sustained some damage that needs to be repaired, and we are experts at fixing this type of damage.

We’ll also check for any interior damage to your fireplace or hearth. We’ll check the dampers and the firebox, and also the condition of any brickwork in the hearth. We’ll make sure that the smoke shelf is in good condition and that the ash pit is clear and not rusted.

Exterior Damage

We’ll also look at the exterior of your chimney to make sure that the structure is intact. We’ll check the condition of the brick and mortar, and the condition of the chimney crown and cap. The chimney crown should be crack and chip-free and the chimney cap should be rust-free and not dented or twisted so that your chimney and home stay leak-free. Another thing that keeps precipitation out of your home is the flashing. The flashing is the metal strips that are layered at the place where the chimney and the roof meet. This is a spot that is especially susceptible to leaks, and the layering of these strips direct precipitation away from it. The flashing can easily rust, become loose, or tear-away in the wind, and we’ll make sure it is in good condition and firmly attached.

Call Chimney Care Co. 

At Chimney Care Co., we specialize in all things chimney. We can make all the above-mentioned repairs, and can also take care of other things as well. We might suggest such repair work as tuckpointing or chimney sealing. No matter what the repair job, you can rest assured that we offer the top service in the area. If you’re looking for great chimney service, give us a call today.

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What is Spalling?

There are so many unusual terms associated with chimney care and chimney repair and if you’re not in the business, it can be really confusing. What’s the difference between a chimney crown and aspalling chimney cap? What is flashing and why is it so important? Why does your chimney need to be lined? What is efflorescence? Have you ever heard the term spalling? Well, it is important to know what is going on with your chimney and fireplace system, but when it comes right down to it, you can hire an actual chimney company to come in and take care of all these things for you. In fact, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends that you have an inspection and sweeping on an annual basis. If you live in or around Cincinnati and you’re looking for a company that is best equipped to take care of all your chimney needs, give Chimney Care Co. a call today.

Spalling

If you take a look at your chimney and notice that there’s a lot of little white specks laying around on the ground, you probably have a condition called spalling. This means that there is a problem with your bricks. Bricks are porous, and if water gets under the surface, it can cause the surface to pop, flake, or peel off. This causes a weakening of the brick, and can cause an overall instability in the structure of the chimney. Obviously, this is a condition that you want to avoid. It can also cause bricks to crack and chip. Because the chimney’s job is to keep dangerous chemicals in smoke out of the house, these cracks and chips can cause major damage or even health issues for your family members and pets.

What To Do

If we discover spalling when we come in for your inspection, we’ll probably recommend that we do some brick replacement. This involves removing the damaged bricks, clearing out the opening to get out the dirt and dust, and then reapplying new, fresh mortar to the new brick and replacing it in the opening. Although this process seems uncomplicated, it is actually best left to the qualified professionals at Chimney Care Co. We have the experience and the expertise to do the job right, and we can make sure that the new mortar matches the existing mortar and that your chimney looks as good as new. Your chimney will be strong and secure and able to perform its function in no time.

Hire CSIA Certified Pros

It’s important to know that the professionals that you are hiring are properly certified and trained. The top certification in the industry is from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), and this is one of the certifications we have. We are also members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild, National Fire Protection Association, and the Hearth, Patio & Barbeque Association. All of these associations offer top-notch education and training opportunities, so you know we can do any repair your chimney needs. Give us a call soon and we’ll have your chimney in great working order before autumn hits!

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What is a chimney damper?

Are you new to using a fireplace and wondering exactly how things work? Fortunately, fireplaces are fairly easy appliances to work. One thing you will need to learn about is your chimney damper.damper

What is a chimney damper?

A chimney damper is a small flap of metal at the base of your chimney flue. The flap sits within the seal. When the fireplace is in use, the damper is opened with a lever or chain to let smoke out. When the fireplace isn’t in use, the damper is closed to seal off the chimney opening.

Why are chimney dampers necessary?

Chimney dampers help your fireplace operate more efficiently. Without a chimney damper, the warm air from your home would flow freely up and out of your home through your chimney flue. Cold bursts of air also could blow down your chimney to chill your home. A chimney damper helps protect your home-heating bills by blocking off your chimney opening when your fireplace isn’t in use.

How do you use a chimney damper?

There’s not much to knowing how to use a chimney damper. Before you light a fire in your fireplace, open your chimney damper so that smoke can escape from your fireplace. After your fires have stopped burning, you will want to close your chimney damper to prevent air exchange through the chimney. Before closing your damper, you will want to be sure that your fire has completely stopped burning; if embers are still smoldering, your closed damper will prevent smoke and carbon monoxide from escaping your home. There are several different types of chimney dampers, and how you open and close your chimney damper will depend on your exact type of chimney damper. Some dampers are opened and closed by pulling a chain. Others have a lever or knob that is pushed and pulled to open and close.

How can you get more from your chimney damper?

Not all chimney dampers are created equally. When new fireplaces and chimneys are installed, they have a throat chimney damper. These dampers have a metal-on-metal closure that doesn’t form a tight seal. On top of that, they can rust or warp over time, making them difficult to open and close. While throat dampers are better than no dampers, they don’t completely prevent warm air from exiting your home or cold air from bursting down the chimney. So how can you get a better performance from your chimney damper? Have a top-sealing chimney damper installed. Top-sealing dampers are installed at the top of your chimney flue. They feature rubber gaskets to create a tight, complete seal when closed. Top-sealing dampers can help lower your home energy bills by preventing warm air from exiting your chimney.

If you are having problems with your chimney damper, call the Chimney Care Co. We can inspect your existing chimney damper, and if it’s due for replacement, we can outfit your chimney with a new, more efficient top-sealing chimney damper.

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Chimney Care Company | 413 Wards Corner Road, Loveland, Ohio 45140