In the fall, when temperatures begin to drop, the puffs of smoke floating above the rooftops in Milwaukee are a signal that homeowners are firing up their fireplaces for the season. Like any other component in the chimney, liners don’t last forever. Normal wear and tear, moisture intrusion, corrosion, and chimney fires can damage the liner, increasing the risk of fire and carbon monoxide exposure. Rather than replacing the liner, we can often install a HeatShield liner on top of the existing one, making it an affordable and reliable option for protecting your masonry chimney, your family, and your home.
What is HeatShield?
HeatShield® is a UL-listed Cerfractory® flue sealant specifically formulated to repair and restore damaged clay liners. This innovative hybrid ceramic and refractory sealant instantly fills gaps, cracks, and voids, creating a durable, heat-resistant surface that restores the structural integrity of the flue. It’s like getting a brand-new chimney liner without the expense of traditional replacement. Smoke Stacks also offers HeatShield for smoke chamber repairs.
Benefits of HeatShield Liners
We highly recommend HeatShield liners for repairing or relining clay tile chimney flues. They are a durable, long-lasting, and affordable solution that offers many benefits, including:
- Cost-Effective: HeatShield provides a significantly more affordable alternative to the costly and labor-intensive process of removing a damaged chimney liner and replacing it with a new one.
- Enhanced Safety: By effectively sealing cracks, gaps, and voids, HeatShield prevents the dangerous byproducts of combustion—such as smoke, heat, and hazardous combustion gases—from seeping into your home’s living spaces, attic, or walls and potentially igniting combustible materials.
- Improves Structural Integrity: The cerfractory sealant fills in decaying and empty mortar joints, cracked or spalled clay flue tiles, and any holes, restoring the strength of your chimney flue.
- Heat-Resistant: After installation, HeatShield cures into a durable, heat-resistant ceramic liner that can withstand the intense heat of regular fireplace use and protect against future damage.
- Non-Invasive Installation: The non-invasive application is a cleaner, less costly, and quicker process for homeowners.
Is It Time to Reline My Chimney?
It’s not always easy to tell the condition of your liner without a professional chimney inspection, which typically includes a video camera scan of the flue’s surface. However, some of the signs that your liner may be compromised, such as deteriorating mortar joints, cracked flue tiles, a smoky fireplace, or unusual odors, require a professional inspection.
- Deteriorating Mortar Joints: If the mortar joints are crumbling, eroded, or missing, it creates gaps for heat and gases to escape into your living space without immediate repair.
- Cracked Flue Tiles: Visible cracks, chips, or spalling tiles indicate the liner is weakening and needs to be replaced.
- Gaps Between Clay Tiles: Any openings in the liner, even small holes, mean the liner is failing, increasing the risk of fire and exposure to toxic carbon monoxide gas without immediate relining.
- Smokey Fireplace: While various issues can cause back puffing, a cracked liner can contribute to insufficient draft, causing smoke to back up into your living space.
- Unusual Odors: A persistent, smoky, acrid, or asphalt-like smell, even when the fireplace is not in use, may indicate excessive creosote buildup or corrosion from the combustion gases in the liner.
If you experience any of the symptoms above, please get in touch with Smoke Stacks at your earliest convenience to schedule an inspection. For your safety, we recommend avoid using your fireplace or any attached heating appliances until a CSIA-certified chimney sweep has inspected them.
HeatShield liners for Sale & Installation in Greater Milwaukee
Smoke Stacks is Milwaukee’s premier, factory-authorized installer of ChimneySaver’s complete line of HeatShield® cerfractory coatings for the safe and effective repair and relining of masonry chimneys. Our outstanding team of certified professionals and installers serves homeowners in Big Bend, Glendale, Wind Point, Thiensville, and surrounding southeastern Wisconsin townships. We treat each customer like family, ensuring that every chimney liner installation is handled with the utmost care and professionalism. Contact us today to schedule your appointment! Ask how you can save money with our PriorFire Fireplace Retrofit System. Family Pride. Exceptional Results.
