With the holiday season in the past and a long Wisconsin winter still ahead, now is a good time to start thinking about your fireplace. You love it, and it’ll get a lot of use as winter storms hit and cold weather lingers. It’s a sweet feeling to be able to light a fire and cozy in for the evening, especially when it’s below zero and there’s snow drifting down outside. But are you aware that your chimney might not be doing the job it’s designed to do? If your chimney liner isn’t in good condition, then smoke might not be flowing out of the chimney like it’s supposed to. This can mean dangerous conditions, both in the form of a fire and with health issues for your family and pets.
Purpose of a Chimney Liner
You might wonder what the purpose of a chimney liner is. In fact, you might wonder if you even have a chimney liner. After all, isn’t the brick and mortar chimney supposed to be what the smoke flows through? The answer to that question is yes, and older homes may not have a chimney liner. Early chimneys were just brick and mortar structures. Over time however, someone realized that smoke from a fire carries chemicals, and those chemicals can have a negative effect on the mortar holding the bricks together. That’s where a chimney liner comes in. In fact, many states now require that a chimney liner be installed as a protective measure for homeowners.
A chimney liner holds three main purposes. First, it protects your chimney from the corrosive effect of the chemicals and moisture that make up smoke. If your mortar is weakened and worn from smoke, it can cause cracks that allow those dangerous gases released during combustion to filter back into the house, causing adverse health effects such as nausea, dizziness, and fatigue or worse.
A chimney liner can also cause your fireplace to run more efficiently, and that’s great for your pocketbook. If your chimney liner fits correctly, it will mean lower energy bills for you.
A third reason that a chimney liner is important is that it can keep the combustible items around your fireplace from getting too hot from the fire. According to CSIA, tests prove that with an unlined chimney, a woodwork fire can occur in as little as 3½ hours due to heat transfer.
Flue Tiles
When chimney lining became a thing, the method often called for clay flue tiles to be used. This was a good, inexpensive solution, but unfortunately, these clay tiles crack over time due to the heat of the fire. This is a dangerous situation because it allows the gases to re-enter your home. This is where Chimney Concepts comes in. We know just what to look for when it comes to chimney liners, and if there’s a crack or a chip, then we’ll fix it for you. We may even suggest replacing your current liner, and if that’s the case, we’ll provide expert service for that as well. Give us a call today!