Your chimney liner is a vital part of your chimney system and has three primary jobs. If it fails to do any of these jobs it results in a health or fire hazard.
- The chimney liner prevents heat transfer. Your chimney vents hot gases, sparks, and dangerous heat up and out of the home. The liner is a refractive barrier that keeps the heat in the chimney instead of the interior wood and materials of your home.
- The chimney liner protects the masonry from corrosive byproducts that can damage the masonry and shorten the life of the chimney system.
- The chimney liner helps the chimney vent harmful gases. Without it the smoke, carbon monoxide, and other chemical compounds can escape the flue and enter the home. This can result in carbon monoxide poisoning and respiratory illnesses.
There are three types of flue liners to choose from. The most common in existing chimneys are clay tiles because of their availability and low cost. However clay tiles are not durable and are often replaced by stainless steel liners. Stainless steel liners can be used with every fuel type, while aluminum is only used with gas appliances and clay tiles cannot withstand the moisture produced by gas appliances.
Today many homeowners opt for cast-in-place liners, which is a complete liner replacement as well.
Do I Need a New Liner?
During an inspection you may find that your liner is damaged and unsafe. Many chimney sweeps might opt for complete liner replacement, but Brickliners chimney sweeps are Independent HeatShield® Installers who have factory training and specialty tools to expertly repair your chimney that would’ve been completely replaced otherwise.
Introducing HeatShield® Hybrid Technology
HeatShield’s® Cerfractory® technology is a hybrid combinations of ceramic and refractory materials that coat the flue to create a seamless flue liner. It has been proven to withstand moisture, corrosive flue gases, and temperatures exceeding 2900°F. It’s rated a “Super-Duty” refractory mortar per ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) C199. It surpasses both National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and International Residential Code (IRC) which require only a “Medium-Duty” refractory mortar for use in fireplaces and chimneys. A coat of HeatShield® is approved as an “all fuel” liner.
There are two methods of HeatShield® application which your installer will determine based on their assessment of your chimney liner. HeatShield® Joint Repair is for clay-lined chimneys with damaged mortar joints. This method involves filling the gaps, smoothing the lining, and proceed with regular HeatShield® application. If there is no mortar joint damage, the method your chimney sweep will use is the HeatShield® Resurfacing System in which the flue is cleaned from top to bottom and a quarter inch of HeatShield® is applied resulting in a durable, smooth liner.
Avoid a complete replacement or rebuild by installing HeatShield®. It’s eco-friendly, made of recycled products and is covered by a 20 year material warranty. That’s enough reason to call Brickliners today! We also have convenient online scheduling.
