1.
What is the purpose of a chimney liner?  |
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The purpose of a chimney
liner is to keep the heat of flue gases inside the chimney
so the chimney can't overheat the nearby combustible
material, such as the framing and walls of your house,
and possibly cause a fire. The liner also keeps carbon
monoxide, moisture, smoke, creosote, and other products
of combustion from seeping through the bricks and mortar
of your chimney and leaking into your home. Most masonry
chimneys are constructed with an inner liner of clay
tiles.
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| 2.
Does my original chimney liner need to be replaced? |
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If your chimney liner is cracked, broken,
or missing then it needs to be replaced. Cracked clay liner
tiles and the deterioration of mortar joints between liner
tiles can lead to carbon monoxide leakage into the house.
Cracks in the chimney liner can also cause dangerous heat
transfer to combustible material surrounding your chimney. Learn more about carbon monoxide… |
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| 3.
Why is my chimney breaking down? |
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The primary culprit for chimney breakdown
is the acidic moisture that comes from condensed flue gases.
This acidic moisture attacks the chimney from the inside.
That is why a chimney may look good from the outside, but
the inside can be a totally different story! Years of normal
use with hot and cold cycles and seasonal weather conditions
all take their toll on a chimney. |
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| 4.
Where does the moisture come from? |
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The advent of high efficiency furnaces has
helped conserve earth's natural resources, and has also
meant lower heating bills for homeowners. At the same time,
high efficiency furnaces, as their name indicates, extract
more heat from a given amount of fuel than conventional
furnaces. Combustion is more complete and less heat is
lost up the chimney. In turn, the flue seldom has a chance
to "dry out" as older furnaces have allowed.
Once flue gases drop to 120 F, unwanted condensation begins.
Herein lies one side effect of high efficiency furnaces
- excessive moisture in the flue. The combustion process
itself, too, leads to condensation in the chimney. Water
vapor is a by-product of burning fuel. When 1 cubic foot
of gas is burned, 2 cubic feet of water vapor is created.
Traditionally built chimneys with clay liners will not
last under this moisture assault. Stainless steel relining
is the best solution for moisture attack. Learn
more about moisture problems… |
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| 5.
What causes chimney fires? |
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Chimney fires occur when deposits of carbon
and dust accumulate in a chimney and are set alight by
sparks or flames from an open fire. When wood burns slowly
and produces smoke, the smoke condenses on the cool inner
surface of the chimney and produces creosote deposits.
Creosote is a highly flammable material. If it ignites
at the base of the chimney, it can produce a raging fire
that travels up the chimney at extremely high temperatures.
Most solid fuels create some kind of soot which without
regular cleaning of chimneys builds up in the flue and
eventually catches fire. Learn
more about chimney fires… |
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| 6.
What is chimney draft? |
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In order for the fire to burn properly,
the chimney must pull combustion air through the fireplace
or stove. At times, however, there is a negative pressure
in the chimney causing chimney draft. There are several
causes of chimney draft such as improper flue sizing, flue
blockage, resistance from below, insufficient chimney height,
and so on. Relining a chimney often has a positive effect
on chimney draft. |
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| 7.
How can I know if my chimney liner has been cracked or
damaged? |
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A chimney professional would most likely
use a video inspection system so he could systematically
inspect your chimney. Such an inspection will be able to
show any cracks in the tiles, even small ones, or any damage
to the mortar between the clay chimney tiles. |
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| 8.
What's the big deal with a few cracked flues? |
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It happens thousands of times each year;
damaged chimneys resulting in disaster. Poisonous carbon
monoxide gas leaks through cracks in the flue lining and
into the home. Even small amounts can make you and your
family sick. There is also the risk of a chimney fire turning
into a house fire. Highly combustible creosote can leak
through even small cracks in clay linings. Once ignited,
a creosote fire can find its way through the cracks, and
dangerously increase chimney heat. Or the flames can simply
penetrate cracks in the mortar and ignite a home. Having
a few cracked flues is serious business. |
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| 9.
How often should I have my chimney inspected? |
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If you are using the chimney to vent a fireplace,
wood, coal or pellet stove or a gas or oil appliance, the
flue should be inspected and cleaned once a year. You should
also have your chimney inspected if you have experienced
a chimney fire. The sudden rise in temperatures within
the flue associated with a chimney fire is often the main
cause of tiles cracking. |
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| 10.
Why should I install a new liner system? |
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If a clay tile liner was never originally
installed, or when the tile lining cracks, crumbles and
deteriorates over time, you need a new liner. Water damage,
chimney fires, or just age can cause the deterioration
of your clay liner. One of our chimney sweeps would be
happy to help you examine your chimney needs. |
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| 11.
What kind of steel is relining pipe made from? |
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All liner pipe is made of prime stainless
steel. Depending on the application several alloys are
used...
- 304L stainless is used for wood burning appliances.
- 316Ti stainless is for all fuels (wood, oil, gas, coal)
- AL29-4C stainless is best used for high efficiency gas
and oil appliances
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| 12.
What is a UL listing? |
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A UL listing stands for Underwriters
Laboratory Inc, an independent, not-for-profit product-safety
testing and certification organization. It is responsible
for setting safety standards and testing various industries
and appliances. UL runs many stringent and rigorous tests
in order to assure that only safe and reliable products
receive the UL listing. A UL listing informs the consumer
that the product he is buying has been suitably tested
and found acceptable for the application for which it
was intended. |
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| 13.
What is the NCSG? |
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The National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)
is a national organization developed to promote professionalism
in the chimney industry, public awareness of chimney safety
issues and provide support and a professional network to
chimney professionals throughout North America. Membership
in the NSCG shows that a chimney professional is actively
involved in keeping up with current practices in chimney
servicing, maintenance and repair, and has up-to-date knowledge
of the latest chimney-related products, tools, and techniques. |
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| 14.
What is the CSIA? |
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The Chimney Safety Institute of America
(CSIA) is a non-profit educational foundation that has
created a certification program for chimney sweeps within
the United States. CSIA devotes its resources to educating
the public, chimney service professionals and other fire
prevention specialists, and the insurance industry about
the prevention and correction of chimney venting system
hazards. |
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