Family-owned smoke chamber repair serving Lake Cain Hills

The throat between firebox and chamber

Smoke leaves the firebox through the throat, a pinched opening that leads into the chamber. Section R1001.7 places the throat or damper at least 8 inches above the lintel over the fireplace opening.

Throat masonry takes direct heat and holds the damper in many fireplaces. Broken mortar, a displaced brick or an old patch at the throat can narrow the passage and give a new chamber coat a poor place to start. We repair the throat first when it needs it, then build the chamber finish above it.

Removing failed patches and old parging

Earlier repairs are not always sound. Old parging can lose its bond and sound hollow when tapped, and patches made with ordinary mortar or filler tend to crack and drop pieces once they see heat.

We tap, probe and scrape every earlier repair we can reach. Anything that has let go comes out, and the surface behind it is cleaned and checked. What stays is sound. The new coat then goes onto one consistent base instead of a patchwork of old materials.

Yearly inspection of a parged chamber

NFPA 211 expects every chimney, fireplace and vent to be inspected yearly at the least. A parged chamber belongs in that yearly look like every other part of the fireplace.

At each visit, we check the coat for cracks that have opened, areas that sound hollow and any buildup that has returned. We also check the shelf and damper seat. Most years the answer is a routine note, and the written record helps spot any change early.

• Coat surface and edges
• Smoke shelf and damper seat
• Buildup since the last visit

Parging or rebuilding the chamber

Parging is right for a chamber whose masonry is sound but rough, stepped or gapped. The coat smooths, seals and can reshape the chamber. Rebuilding is right when the walls are loose, badly cracked, missing brick in large areas or clearly too thin.

The line between the two is not always sharp. When a chamber sits near it, we price both options and explain the difference in cost and in what each fixes. Some chambers get a partial rebuild of the worst area, then a full coat.

Our warranty and satisfaction guarantee on chamber work

Our workmanship warranty backs the chamber repairs we finish. If our parging, masonry or shelf repair fails because of how we did it, we come back and correct it.

On top of that, our 100% satisfaction guarantee means that if the finished work is not right in your eyes, you tell us and we make it right. Both promises are written on your paperwork, and both come from a family-owned team that intends to be here for the next inspection.