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. The “Blow-N-Go” 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. SmartSweep primarily uses two products for smoke chamber repairs, Chamber Tech 2000® and SmokTite®. The one we use depends on the repair needs of your fireplace system. We will recommend the appropriate repair based on your needs.
Here is an example of a corbeled brick smoke chamber. When parged with Chamber Tech 2000®, this system will draft twice as efficiently and be thermally protected.
Photo during the smoke chamber parging process.
Here is
another unparged, unprotected smoke chamber.