Our Company Blog

The Process of Chimney Relining

Chimneys can last for generations, but chimney liners are another story. Chimney liners break down over time, which can put your home at risk of a chimney fire, or smoke or heat damage. Sometimes chimney liners are improperly sized for a fireplace system, which can cause problems with chimney draft and lead to smoke flooding back into a home. Chimney relining might also be called for when a new hearth appliance is hooked up to an existing chimney or when a new type of fuel is introduced to a fireplace or heating stove.

While the chimney itself is a basic architectural structure, the chimney liner bears the brunt of the work. Your chimney liner protects your home from the heat, smoke and flames put off by your fireplace. If you’ve been told that your chimney will need to be relined — whether it’s due to wear, drafting problems or a change in fireplace fuel — you don’t want to put it off. You might be wondering what that process looks like and what your chimney relining options are. At Your Chimney Sweep, we offer two primary types of chimney relining:

Stainless steel chimney liners

Stainless steel chimney liners are one of the most popular options for relining a chimney. They’re cost effective, easy to install and incredibly durable. If a liner is already in place, your chimney sweep will remove it. The new chimney liner, which will be properly sized for your hearth appliance, will then be attached to your fireplace or heating stove. Stainless steel chimney liners can be used to overlay a deteriorating masonry chimney liner, but they’re also a popular choice for resizing an improperly sized chimney liner to resolve drafting issues or to reline a chimney when the fireplace fuel type is changed.

HeatShield Cerfractory Sealant

Another popular tool for relining a chimney is HeatShield Cerfractory Sealant. HeatShield is a special cerfractory cement that can withstand the heat and flames of your fireplace. It can be used to restore the surface of a deteriorating masonry chimney liner or to line and unlined chimney. To apply heatshield, a foam plug specially sized for your chimney is lowered down the chimney flue. HeatShield is poured into the chimney, and the plug is pulled up with a winch. The plug smooths the HeatShield cement as it goes, filling in any cracks, holes or uneven surfaces in your chimney flue.

If your chimney needs to be relined; don’t put it off. Burning a fire in a fireplace attached to a deteriorating or insufficient chimney liner can put your home at risk of a dangerous fire or smoke or heat damage. Your Chimney Sweep can help! If your chimney needs to be relined, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule an appointment today!

We offer various hearth accessories!

At Your Chimney Sweep, we do so much more than cleaning and inspecting chimneys and dryer vents. In addition, we also sell and install the best hearth appliances for our clients, and we offer various hearth accessories to help you get the most from your fireplace or heating stove! Here’s a look at the various hearth accessories we offer at Your Chimney Sweep.

Stainless steel chimney caps

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, a solid chimney cap is one of the most important accessories.  A chimney cap sits at the top of your chimney flue, to prevent water from coming down your flue when it rains or snows. Its sole purpose is to protect your chimney system and fireplace from water damage.

Fireplace spark screens

Inside your home, your open hearth can serve as a danger to your home furnishings or any pets and people sitting near your fireplace. Fires are known for their pleasant crackle and pop. However, when an open hearth is unprotected, this pleasant popping can result in flying embers to cause danger for anything and anyone near your fireplace. A spark screen keeps those embers in the fireplace and serve as a decorative accent as well.

Zero clearance fireplace grates

Fireplace grates elevate your burning logs off the floor of your fireplace, allowing air to circulate around the fire to fuel it more efficiently. When the fireplace grate wears out in your factory-built fireplace, Your Chimney Sweep has the best replacement: zero clearance fireplace grate.

Zero clearance refractor panels

Another component of your factory-built fireplace that will wear down quickly are the refractory panels that line the firebox. These panels help to capture the heat from your fireplace and protect your home from the intensity of your fires. When cracks develop in these panels, they need to be replaced so your fireplace can continue to be safe and effective.

Heat shields and heat reflectors

Heat shields, also called heat reflectors, are both decorative and functional. These large metal shields sit at the back of your open-hearth fireplace, adding visual appeal to your hearth. Heat shields or heat reflectors also cause the heat from your fireplace to radiate more efficiently back into your home, rather than just traveling up the chimney. In fact, heat shields or heat reflectors can return up to 20 to 40 percent more heat to your home.

Ash pit doors

Is your ash pit door looking worse because of the constant wear? Your Chimney Sweep can outfit your ash pit with a replacement door! We carry stainless steel and cast iron ash pit doors, as well as aluminum clean-out doors.

If your fireplace or chimney needs a hearth accessory to help protect your family or to operate more safely and efficiently this coming fall, call Your Chimney Sweep right now at 317-243-9687!