If the chimney flue is damaged or worn down, you don’t have to rebuild the entire chimney. A smart solution is to schedule chimney flue repair or relining. This takes care of problems quickly and helps you save money at the same time. It’s essential to choose experts in flue resurfacing. At Chim Chimney, we have over 20 years of experience, so you can trust us to take great care of your chimney.
What Is the Chimney Flue?
The flue is the inner area of the chimney, the part that’s responsible for directing toxic gases out of the house. To help the flue work properly, heat-resistant clay tiles and masonry mortar line inside surfaces all the way to the top. When everything is in good condition, smoke and gases flow smoothly outside, letting you enjoy a warm fire safely.
Why Is Chimney Flue Resurfacing Needed?
After decades of freezing winters and hot summers, chimney brick, mortar, firebricks, and flue tiles can start to break down. You will need a fireplace resurface if you see cracks in the fireplace mortar. For flue tiles, any cracks, missing mortar, or crumbling (called spalling) require chimney flue repair to restore the original performance of your fireplace.
Why Is Chimney Flue Repair Important?
When problems appear with the chimney flue, repairing them is an urgent need. A damaged flue is dangerous for your fireplace, home, and family:
- Fire hazards: Any cracks or missing mortar in flue tiles can cause creosote to build up more quickly inside the chimney. Creosote is extremely flammable, which can lead to a serious chimney fire in the home.
- Structural hazards: The more flue tiles break down, the weaker the structure of the chimney gets. If problems go on for too long, rain or snow can cause the entire thing to collapse.
- Health dangers: One of the biggest dangers of cracked flue tiles is that it allows toxic gases, including carbon monoxide, to enter the home. You don’t want your family breathing these fumes when you use the fireplace.
- Draft issues: When the fireplace isn’t in use, damaged tiles let cold air inside the home during winter. This is why rooms with fireplaces can start to feel colder than they should.
- Moisture problems: An important purpose of the chimney liner is to keep rain and moisture out of your home. When the liner isn’t working correctly, walls, ceilings, and structural areas can get wet, potentially causing mold issues.
What Are the Benefits of Expert Chimney Flue Repair?
Scheduling professional chimney flue repair means keeping your family safe and protecting your home. It also lets you avoid more significant problems down the road. Even from a financial perspective, it makes more sense to keep the flue in great condition instead of worrying about costly remodeling or mold remediation.
Another reason many Nashville homeowners contact us for chimney relining is to save money on energy costs. If you’re contemplating installing an energy-efficient HVAC system, sealing any leaks or cracks in your chimney is essential. Otherwise, those energy savings go out the window, or the flue, in this case.
How Does Chimney Flue Resurfacing and Relining Work?
Chimney flue resurfacing involves fixing damage to the clay tiles and mortar inside the flue. Relining can also include installing a new liner to reinforce the original surface. This is more common in older homes. Here’s what you can expect when we arrive at your home:
- Inspecting the chimney: The first step is to use a camera to visually inspect the chimney flue and determine how extensive the damage is.
- Applying new mortar: If the problem is missing mortar or gaps between tiles, we can fill in these areas with fresh heat-resistant mortar. At the same time, we remove and replace any old or crumbling mortar to prevent problems in the future.
- Replacing damaged flue tiles: When flue tiles themselves show cracks or spalling, it’s necessary to perform more complete chimney flue resurfacing. This involves removing any tiles that are damaged and installing new ones. It’s often smart to resurface the entire interior portion at the same time, as it extends the life of your chimney without requiring rebuilding.
- Overlaying flue tiles with metal liners: Some customers prefer installing an aluminum or stainless-steel chimney flue instead. These materials cost more than flue tiles, but they offer excellent energy efficiency and sometimes make repairs easier. Insulating materials go around the metal liner to keep the home cool in summer and warm in winter.
- Installing custom chimney flue liners: the experts in chimneys in Nashville, TN, our team can prepare specialty liners that protect historic homes and last even longer than other options. These include poured-in-place options such as heat-resistant concrete and ceramic.
There’s more than one solution to a cracked flue. We show you all of the available options and let you decide what works best for your needs.
Why Choose Chim Chimney for Flue Relining in Hermitage, TN?
We go above and beyond to make our customers happy and give you a fireplace that lasts ages. At the same time, we stick within your budget. That’s why we have a great reputation in Nashville, TN, as chimney and fireplace resurface experts. We’re happy to give you an estimate for the chimney relining cost of each option. Just contact us online or call (615) 364-8987 for more information.
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