What Your Chimney Liner Actually Does
The majority of chimney are required by code to have a liner inside, as it helps protect you residence from the heat of a fire.
Your fire creates a number of different byproducts that can permeate the masonry, and the liner protects your chimney from the damage that can be done to the mortar joints. If that damage takes hold, the life of your chimney can be greatly shortened, with those harmful gases slowly making their way into your home. Those gases include carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, or the potentially lethal carbon monoxide.
The liner will also prevent the heat from reaching the combustible materials in your home. The majority of home have wood framing within the walls, and the liner keeps the heat away from those materials, thus limiting the chance of fire.
There are a number of reasons why a chimney relining might be a good idea: the lining that you have right now may be old and worn out; the addition of new appliances might require that a flue resizing is in order; your older home may not have a liner at all, which is the most dangerous of all the scenarios.
Materials and Relining Options
The materials most commonly used for chimney liners are clay tile, metal, or cast-in-place masonry, each of which have specific benefits:
- Clay Tiles – This is the material used most commonly, as they are affordable, effective, and easy to maintain. That said, they also have a tendency to crack and split , which makes repairs essential. They also don’t tend to work as well with the newer gas appliances used by homeowners today. Besides damages tiles, chimneys need to be relined when they were built without a lining. In that situation, clay tiles are of no use, as using them for the relining would mean tearing down the existing chimney first.
- Metal – We are of the belief that stainless steel is the most effective material to use for relining. Here at ARC Chimney Sweeps of Baton Rouge, LA, we use stainless steel liners with lifetime warranties, assuming of course that they are inspected and swept each year by a certified sweep.
- Cast Masonry – When using cast masonry, the old liner is usually removed before a new one is casted and bonded to the inside of thee chimney. This process seals cracks, gaps, and areas of deterioration to a create a seamless liner. This is a great way to add some real strength to the chimney in an older home, as it provides years of protection, regardless of the fuel being used.
If you believe that your chimney needs to be relined, and you want quality work that is guaranteed, give ARC Chimney Sweeps of Baton Rouge, LA a call at (225) 407-0140.