When you picture a chimney, you probably think of a sturdy structure made of brick, block or stone. Yet, inside this structure are parts that need to be regularly maintained - including a chimney liner. Every heating appliance (including a furnace, fireplace, stove, or water heater) has its own flue.
Since the 1920’s, flues have typically been made of 2-foot long sections of terra cotta that are stacked on top of one another and sealed at the joints with mortar, making for a continuous flue lining. Over time, though, this terracotta can crack or break and the mortar joints can fall out. Once this happens, the flue is no longer functioning properly and can lead to numerous safety hazards.
Fortunately, our crew can help restore damaged flues with chimney relining services.
What Is a Chimney Liner?
The chimney liner is an important safety product that is designed to protect your home against the heat, carbon monoxide, smoke, gas, and sparks created by your furnace or fireplace as they travel up the chimney. The flue liner is also designed to create and maintain the correct draft in your chimney. Proper draft helps direct smoke and gas up and out of the chimney and increase system efficiency - without it, these byproducts of combustion could easily flow back into your home.
Chimney liners also facilitate easier cleaning and maintenance, reducing the buildup of creosote and other combustible residues that can lead to chimney fires. Over time, the integrity of a chimney liner can deteriorate due to exposure to the elements and thermal stress, making regular inspections a necessity.
Do I Have to Have My Chimney Relined?
If a chimney inspection or video scan has revealed damage to your chimney liner, it is important to have it repaired as soon as possible. Chimneys with damaged liners are simply not safe to use. Having your flue quickly – and correctly – relined can get you back to enjoying your fireplace faster, and at higher levels of safety and efficiency.
Neglecting to reline a damaged chimney can lead to more severe issues down the line, including structural damage or potential hazards in your home. A new liner will also help improve the efficiency of your heating system by ensuring that heat is directed where it is needed.
We Install Stainless Steel Chimney Liners
Many chimneys are built with clay tile liners. While this type of chimney liner works well, replacing broken tiles can be nearly impossible to do, especially if the damage is in the middle of the flue. Likewise, clay tile liners may crack or crumble around the joints, decreasing draft.
For homeowners with damaged clay tile liners, we recommend relining with a stainless steel chimney liner. Stainless steel liners are extremely durable and strong, and most come with limited lifetime warranties. Likewise, because they are made entirely of one piece, there is no need to worry about future cracks or issues around joints. Another added bonus of stainless steel liners is that they are safe for use with all fuel types - so whether you burn wood, oil, gas, or pellet fuel, a stainless steel liner will serve you well.
What's the Difference Between Relining a Furnace & Relining a Fireplace?
Furnace Relining: Furnace and water heater flues are replaced with stainless steel liners. Chimney relining for these units includes installing a continuous 316 stainless steel liner from the top of the chimney to the bottom where the furnace pipe connects to it. These liners have a lifetime warranty and must be swept once per year to avoid this warranty being voided. The liner, once installed is protected with a thermal insulation, which adds protection to the liner, as well as the home. The process typically takes between 4-8 hours to complete.
Fireplace Relining: Like with furnaces, fireplace and wood stove flues are also repaired with stainless steel liners. Yet, because of the higher stack temperatures, a thicker gauge liner is used. These also have lifetime warranties and must be swept once per year. These liners, once installed are also protected with a thermal insulation, which adds protection to the liner as well as the home.
In addition to repairing fireplace flues with stainless steel liners, these flues can also be repaired by replacing missing mortar joints or resurfacing. We replace missing mortar joints and resurface flues with the FireGuard system. This process is typically much more cost-effective and carries a 30-year warranty. By using a specialized applicator and vibrating motor, we are able to replace the missing mortar joints and apply a coating to the flue sealing any cracks. This process typically takes 4-8 hours to complete.
Whether you choose Wells & Sons to repair your furnace flue or fireplace flue, you can be assured that with years of experience and expertise, we will get the job done right in a professional manner. We are the only company in the area that manufactures our own UL Listed liners, so we can warranty the workmanship and the materials.
Schedule Your Chimney Relining Appointment As Soon As Possible!
A chimney with a damaged liner can pose a serious safety threat to you and your family. Don’t delay - contact Wells & Sons Chimney Service today to schedule your chimney relining appointment! Call us at (610) 473-6000 or reach out online now.
Here at Wells & Sons, we are experienced with all kinds of masonry repairs and services so you can depend on us for this and other chimney and dryer vent services year after year.
