Chimney Relining

Your Chimneys Liner and What It Does for You

Almost all chimneys have a liner inside them, by code, to protect your home from the heat of a fire. The liner is protecting your chimney from the destructive effects of fire’s byproducts (burning wood creates gasses if allowed to permeate into the masonry), and would slowly damage the mortar joints. That will absolutely shorten the life of the chimney and will eventually allow those harmful gases into your home causing harm. Those gases include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrous oxide or laughing gas, and we all know how fatal carbon monoxide can be.

The liner also helps in keep heat away from nearby combustible materials in your home, most homes have a wood framing beneath even a brick facade — which means it’s limiting the possibility of fire.

There are many reasons you may need to reline your chimney: your current lining may be old and deteriorating; new appliances might bring a need for a resizing of the flue, or your historic home might have a chimney that was built without a liner at all — a dangerous situation that should be corrected as soon as possible.

How will I know if I need a reline? This is our most commonly asked question, and luckily it’s pretty easy to find out! The Chimney Company will thoroughly inspect the entire chimney from the firebox to the top of the cap, then scan the inside of the flue with an industry-specific Chim Scan Chimney Camera. We will document this process with you in real-time so that you can see the condition of your flue, take pictures, and be able to provide you with a report.

Just like most things, over time, chimneys wear down and can require more than yearly maintenance. This is often the case in areas that have a lot of rain and wind but it can also happen when a chimney has not been constructed well or there has been a major weather event, That could be anything from a tornado, hurricane, or even just heavy rain or flooding. When this happens it means your chimney may need relining or restoring to some degree.

Relining is pretty straightforward. The liner is either damaged or, in some older chimney appliances, nonexistent. What is recommended is a stainless steel liner but there are other options that are available to you as well

Chimney Restoration and Relining Services are available at Owens Chimney Systems

FireGuard- An affordable way to repair most terracotta or clay flue-lined chimneys this type of repair is relatively new in the last 10 years. A specially designed cushion will raise and lower applying a non-water soluble mortar to the entire inside of the clay flue liner, both filling any cracks and voids and making the liner stronger. This process carries a 20-year warranty as long as the chimney is cleaned and inspected yearly.
Stainless Steel Relining – This is probably the most common way to reline your chimney, although oftentimes the most expensive. Your fireplace is carefully measured and entered into a formula to decide what size round liner is needed to vent your fireplace. After determination, the terracotta is removed manually (if needed), and a round stainless steel liner with insulation is installed. This process does carry a lifetime warranty if it is cleaned or inspected yearly.