A chimney liner, one of the most essential parts of your chimney and venting system, protects your house from heat transfers to combustibles, protects the masonry work of your chimney from the corrosive byproducts of combustion, and provides a correctly sized flue for your heating appliance. As time goes on, your liner begins to deteriorate and crack, which can cause a couple of hazards. Toxic gases like carbon monoxide can leak through the cracks into your home, and your home is at a higher risk for a devastating chimney fire due to the lack of protection from the high heat that passes through your chimney. If your chimney liner is damaged in any way, it is time to reline your chimney, and we at Ashbusters has a couple of options for relining your chimney. We would like to tell you more about our two options to help you decide which one is best for you.
Stainless Steel Liners
The only chimney liner with a lifetime guarantee, a stainless steel liner will never have to be replaced. Since stainless steel is resistant to rusting and corrosion, you will not have to worry about cracking and other deterioration. The liner is sealed from the top to the bottom, which means smoke, gases, and vapors exit your chimney without ever touching the masonry work of your chimney. Another plus of stainless steel liners is they can be insulated. An insulated liner further protects you from creosote accumulations because the combustion byproducts are kept hot throughout the chimney. Additionally, when you are not using your fireplace, the insulated liner will keep cold downdrafts from entering your home through the chimney. Easier to clean and to install than other liners, a stainless steel liner will improve the energy efficiency of your heating appliance by reducing cold downdrafts and by improving your chimney’s draft as hotter gases draw better than colder ones. A good draft contributes to higher fuel efficiency because the combustion process is more complete. If you need to completely replace your liner or if you are building a new home and need a chimney liner, Ashbusters always recommends installing a stainless steel liner.
Heatshield
If you have a clay chimney liner that needs restoring, you do have a less expensive option than installing a new liner. HeatShield allows you to restore the clay flue liner of your chimney without going through the whole relining process. If only your mortar joints need repairing, we will use the Joint Repair System method of HeatShield; however, if you need other repairs in the tiles that line your flue, we will use the Resurfacing System to coat the entire flue. If your clay liner needs to be replaced, Ashbusters can even reline your chimney by using HeatShield’s CeCure Sleeve Relining System. The CeCure Sleeve is a thin layer of ceramic insulation that has been reinforced with stainless steel fabric and sandwiched between two coats of HeatShield Cerfractory Flue Sealant. Our chimney technicians have been trained on how to apply these systems to make your clay tiled liner safe to use again.
Want to know more about our two chimney relining options? Contact Ashbusters to ask our expert staff any questions you may have.