Chimney flue tile repair for Lake Cherokee homeowners

What flue resurfacing actually is

Flue resurfacing applies a heat-resistant material to the inside of an existing tile flue, filling cracks and gaps and forming a new surface over the old one. Some systems also bridge small missing areas.

Where resurfacing is meant to serve as the flue's lining, the product needs to be a listed system suited to your appliance, installed within its limits. We explain which system we propose, what it can fix in your flue and what it cannot, before you decide. Most systems need a sound, cleaned flue and a specific application method, and some are applied in more than one pass.

What a flue repair estimate should list

A flue repair estimate should be specific enough to compare with another quote. Vague lines such as repair liner leave you unable to tell what is being fixed.

Ours list each item below. Book within 72 hours after the inspection and 10% off is printed right on the estimate.

• Sections of the flue included in the repair
• The method and the named product or material
• Cleaning and preparation before the repair
• Related work such as a cap, crown or cleanout cover
• Curing time and when the fireplace can be used
• Anything that could not be seen or confirmed

How you burn affects the flue

Wet wood burns cool and smoky, and that smoke leaves more deposits on flue walls. The EPA's Burn Wise program advises burning dry, seasoned wood, suggests seasoning it for at least six months and recommends checking it with a moisture meter.

A cleaner, drier fire is gentler on a repaired flue and makes deposits easier to keep under control. We are happy to talk through burning habits during the visit, since they affect how long any repair looks its best. Split wood dries faster than rounds, and wood stored off the ground under cover stays dry.

Big fires in a cold flue

A large, hot fire lit in a cold flue heats the tile quickly and unevenly. Sound tile usually copes. Tile that is already cracked or weakened may not.

After a repair, start with small fires and build up gradually, following any curing guidance for the repair product. We tell you what that looks like for your flue before we leave. Even a sound flue does better with a gradual start. A small fire warms the tile, the smoke chamber and the air in the flue together, which also helps the chimney begin drawing before the fire grows.