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How to Repair a Cracked Chimney LinerRepair of Cracked Chimney Liners
Introduction: In the old days of fireplace construction the fireplace and chimney were built using stone and mortar cement. Later the stone was replaced with brick. Chimney liners became common as brick chimney grew in popularity. A chimney with a liner is nothing more than brick or stone placed around a clay tile liner. In modern construction all masonry chimneys are built using a liner. The liner protects the stone or brick from the heat and chemicals caused by the burning of fuel in the heating source whether it is wood, coal, fuel oil or gas. The chimney liner is one of the most critical components of the fireplace or woodstove system. The chimney and liner is designed to safely expel the hot flue gases to the exterior atmosphere without damaging the house. The size of the liners is very important. If the liner is too small the gases will back into the home and cause smoking issues. If the liner is sized too large the smoke will travel slowly up the chimney and large amounts of creosote will form on the liner. Creosote build-up is one of the major causes of chimney fires. There are two types of fireplaces and woodstove chimneys and liners. The first is masonry. The chimney liner of a masonry chimney for a fireplace or woodstove is constructed with terra-cotta flue tile which acts as a heat shield. The flue tiles contain and shields heat but are prone to crack during the thermal shock of a chimney fire. The second is a prefabricated metal chimney which is also called a fake fireplace. It is constructed of steel and works just as well as masonry constructed chimneys with liners. The prefabricated metal chimney has an outside shell and inner liner that acts in the same way as a masonry chimney with a tile liner. Unfortunately masonry chimney liners crack and must be repaired. This is a very expensive process as the chimney has to be disassembled to replace the liner. There is an alternative to replacing the liner. A technique has been developed to reline the chimney tiles with a steel liner that is sized to fit your chimney. Although this is expensive it beats the alternative of disabling the chimney to replace cracked and broken tile liners. The best thing about a steel chimney liner is that it will not crack in the event of a chimney fire. Most fireplace and wood stove shops have experts available to evaluate cracked chimney liners and make repairs. In most cases the repair is installing a steel liner. Related articles: How to Repair Damaged Brick Chimney Cracks How to Repair Stone Chimney Cracks How to Restore Marble Fireplaces Installing a Wood Burning Fireplace Insert
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