The fireplace in your home has steadfastly provided you with warmth and an ambient, crackling background on chilly evenings. In return, you have lovingly followed through with an annual chimney sweep to keep your fireplace functioning. Unfortunately, a sweep might not catch the hidden damages inside your chimney. The flue tiles lining the inside of your chimney suffer the most neglect because you cannot see them without a through video inspection of the inside of the chimney. If these tiles are cracked, missing mortar, or completely absent, you can have a serious safety hazard on your hands. Luckily, all of these issues can be easily resolved using the HeatShield system.
Flue tiles are heat resistant units that line the interior of your chimney. They protect the masonry structure from the smoke and heat and guard the combustible materials in your home from starting on fire. If the flue tiles in your chimney are damaged or missing, you are putting your safety at risk. The corrosive products of a burning fire can cause damage to the masonry structure, meaning that a burning fire is slowly deteriorating the integrity of your chimney. In addition, flue tiles protect the combustible materials in your home, like dry wall and wooden beams, from catching fire. In a study done by the National Bureau of Standards, a fire in a unit with an unlined chimney resulted in adjacent woodwork lighting on fire within 3 ½ hours.
To protect your home from structural or fire damage, you need to have a professional assess the condition of the flue tiles in your chimney and repair any damages with HeatShield. If your flue tiles are only missing mortar, the simple fix involves applying HeatShield flue sealant to the interior of the chimney using a custom made application blade.
The Resurfacing System is used for flue tiles with missing mortar and other superficial damages. The professional will apply a special primer to prepare the surface for the HeatShield, then a fine layer of HeatShield flue sealant will fill in all cracks, crevices and holes. Upon the final application, the flue lining is as good as new.
Finally, some chimneys are missing entire sections of flue lining or do not have a flue lining at all. Before burning a fire under this chimney, you need to have a professional install a HeatShield lining. First, a layer of HeatShield flue sealant is laid against the bare masonry. Next, custom fit steel fabric is fitted against the sealant. The final step is to apply another layer of HeatShield flue sealant over the steel mesh to form a strong, heat-resistant flue lining.
All of these applications must be performed by a professional chimney service certified to properly use HeatShield products. If you live in the North Shore or Boston, Massachusetts area or the Portland, Maine area, contact Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep for a professional consultation.