Lindemann Chimney Service: Chimney Lining

Lindemann Chimney Service, Inc Chicagoland's Most Trusted Chimney Sweep Company


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4Lindemann

Chimney Service

Winnetka, IL

847-446-2994

Lake Bluff

847-918-7994

Deerfield

847-948-7994

Evanston

847-866-7994

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847-392-7994

About Chimney Lining

The chimney's lining system is the barrier between the smoke and fumes in the chimney and the framing of your house.

Learn how we line / reline masonry chimneys, and why a chimney may need to be relined even if the existing liner is in good condition.

Chimney Lining

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHIMNEY LINERS

Chimneys provide a passageway for smoke and fumes to exit your chimney. Chimney liners provide an extra layer of protection between the inside of the chimney and the framing of your home. Masonry chimneys are most commonly now built with clay tile flue liners. Numerous events can leave the chimney needing a new liner to offer maximum safety and protection.

CHIMNEY FIRES

In the old days, folks used to think that purposely igniting a chimney fire was the best way to clean out the chimney. This was a dangerous practice that led to untold house fires. Unlike fireplaces, clay tile liners are not designed to be exposed to high temperatures and when a chimney fire occurs, clay tile liners are almost always damaged during the fire.

Looking up a chimney from the bottom. The white spot is the sky. Note the creosote deposits in this chimney and the cracked flue tiles. Vertical cracks like the one shown indicate chimney fire damage.

As shown in the photo at left, a chimney fire rarely cleans the chimney out, it just makes the remaining creosote deposits more flammable. Looking carefully, you can see missing chunks of clay tile (top left) and vertical cracks. This flue tile liner actually did its job; it contained the fire within the chimney and the home was saved. However,the chimney must now be repaired.

Continued use of a chimney following a fire exposes your home to incrementally greater damage. The cracked tiles expand when the chimney is warmed while in use. Flammable creosote continues to build up within these cracks, now adjacent to the framing of your home. A second chimney fire is more likely as the ignition temperature of the remaining creosote has been lowered, and the next chimney fire is now more likely to cause structural damage to your home and jeopardize the safety of your family.

SPALLING

Spalling occurs when chips of clay tile or brick exfoliate, break off and crumble due to moisture deterioration. When this happens to the inside of the chimney, these little bits of material not only reduce the thickness (and protective ability) of your liner, the pieces drop down and settle somewhere, often causing a blockage. Flue gases are corrosive and deteriorate the useful life of a chimney by accelerating deterioration. Spalling damage can occur to both the inside and the outside of a chimney.

Spalling is particularly worrisome with chimneys venting gas or oil, such as water heaters and furnaces. These appliances vent through a hole in the wall, called the THIMBLE, and spalled material can accumulate to block this passageway. This leads to a chimney that doesn't vent properly and can allow carbon monoxide, soot and deadly fumes to back up into the living space.

Spalling is an incremental problem; the longer this condition exists, the more rapidly the deterioration will accelerate. A new chimney liner, especially a stainless steel liner, will solve spalling problems related to the appliance venting.

OTHER CHIMNEY PROBLEMS

Chimneys can need a liner for other reasons as well. Improper construction, such as poorly laid tiles, can cause performance and maintenance problems. Clay tile liners should be set squarely one upon the other and properly mortared, but poor construction can leave a brand new chimney in poor condition. Settling, storms, wind damage, soil erosion, lightening strikes, poor maintenance, creosote and soot penetration and numerous other occurrences can create conditions that will dictate a new liner.

CHIMNEY LINING: HOW WE LINE CHIMNEYS

As demonstrated, clay tile liners are the building industry standard and do meet building codes, however, clay tile is not the best material for lining a chimney. By our interpretation of building codes, a chimney cannot be RELINED after construction with clay tile liners.

We line chimneys using stainless steel chimney liners. This is a corrugated flexible pipe that is specially designed to withstand temperatures of 2100 degrees - a temperature at which clay tile will disintegrate. Stainless steel liners are impervious to rain and water damage. They are not porous so they cannot absorb creosote or soot, and they are easier to clean and maintain. Their flexible design allows them to be routed around chimney offsets, and even to be ovalized for chimneys with a challenging design. A properly installed chimney liner will increase draft because the smooth metal and circular design allows smoke and fumes to rise faster and exit your home quicker. A properly sized chimney liner will offer superior chimney performance, stay cleaner, help your appliance burn more efficiently to save energy dollars while offering maximum protection against dangerous fumes and against fire and water damage.

The appliance being vented and the configuration of your chimney help determine which alloy of stainless steel is appropriate for your needs and for best performance. We have a large selection of lining materials available in all styles and sizes.

Whether your home is older and built before clay tile liners were required, or the liner has been damaged by chimney fire, settling, improper construction, poorly installed appliances that connect to the chimney or other problems, a chimney liner is your best protection to maintain a barrier between the smoke and fumes in your chimney and the structure of your home.