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Flues
– The flue is the tube or passageway designed to evacuate the smoke
and products of combustion from your stove or fireplace to the outdoors. They are made of clay, pumice, metal and a few
other materials, as well. It’s very important that your flue is in good condition to safely do its intended job.
Cracks, mortar gaps, separations and deterioration all pose potential hazards for your home and family.
A visual inspection is the most common kind of inspection, but the only way to know for sure if a flue is in good
condition is to insert a specially-designed chimney camera into the flue and scan it completely. SmartSweep has a Chim-Scan®
internal inspection camera system for this purpose. After scanning your flue, we will provide you with a report explaining
any defects or potential hazards that are found, and we can show you photos of the damage, too. So you, the homeowner,
can see the pictures of the damaged areas for yourself.
If there is flue damage, SmartSweep will
recommend the repair that’s right for you, whether that means replacing your old damaged flue with a properly installed,
UL-listed stainless steel flue liner, or repairing your existing damaged flue with the marvelous new technology of the HeatShield®
Cerfractory Flue Joint-Repair and Resurfacing System. So give us a call to inspect your flue system. You’ll
be glad you did. To the right and below are examples of a fractured flue, dangerous stage-three creosote, and a missing
mortar joint.
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example of severely glazed creosote |
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missing mortar joint in flue
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The Smoke Chamber
– Masonry fireplaces have what is called a smoke chamber. That
is the area just above your fireplace, which you cannot see, that tapers up to the flue passage. Virtually all chimney
professionals agree that the smoke chamber is the most vulnerable and neglected part of a fireplace system. Those “fly-by-night”
cheap sweep companies usually don’t even sweep this area, let alone inspect it.
Quite a few
house fires are caused by problems in the smoke chamber area. And what most people call a “chimney fire”
actually begins right there in the smoke chamber. During a chimney fire, this chamber area is like a hot oven, and can
reach temperatures well over 2100 degrees Fahrenheit. The smoke chamber must be carefully examined at every inspection. During
the inspection, we often find that the smoke chamber was poorly constructed when the home was built, which often results in
safety and drafting problems for the homeowner. There are many safety codes and inspection points concerning the smoke
chamber.
Please make sure you call someone qualified to inspect this important area, because deficiencies
here are critical and can destroy your home. Call SmartSweep. If your smoke chamber does need repair, we can recommend
the repair options that are right for your system. We use Chamber Tech 2000® and SmokTite® for smoke chamber
repairs, and we will recommend the appropriate repair based on the condition of your smoke chamber.
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The Fireplace/Firebox
– This is the part that the customer can see! It’s
the area where the fire belongs, and nowhere else. Customers often call us when they can see damage here for themselves. Inspecting
the firebox and hearth area is part of every inspection, but a good inspector will see things that others might not. Call
SmartSweep. We’ll inspect your system top to bottom, and when we’re done, you can have peace of mind.
Fireplaces and wood stoves are great, but so many of them are getting old and need attention. Even the newer systems
still need regular maintenance. Remember, when you have a fire in your fireplace or woodstove, it’s an open flame
in your home—so lean on the side of safety. Call us here at SmartSweep Chimney Service. We’re happy
to help.
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