Rio Grande Park chimney service from a local family company

A flue fire that has burned out, or that the fire department has put out, leaves a chimney that should not be used again until it has been inspected. In Rio Grande Park, a neighborhood recognized by the City of Orlando, we inspect chimneys after that kind of event and explain what the heat may have done, in plain terms and in writing.

The signs that a flue fire happened are not always dramatic. Afterward, homeowners may notice flaky, puffed-up creosote on the firebox floor or roof, a warped damper, cracked flue tiles in the firebox, a damaged cap, discolored metal on a factory-built chimney or smoke stains on the outside of the chimney. Sometimes a loud roar or a strong hot smell was the only clue at the time.

If you suspect one happened, stop using the fireplace. Intense heat in a flue can crack clay tiles, open mortar joints, damage the smoke chamber and, on factory-built systems, distort the metal pipe. Those are problems that can let heat and gases reach the framing around the chimney during the next fire.

NFPA 211 treats an event like this as a reason for a closer inspection than a routine one, and our technicians look at the full length of the flue as far as access allows and explain anything we could not see. The repair depends on what we find. Some chimneys need only cleaning and minor repairs.

Others need a new liner, a rebuilt smoke chamber or replacement parts from the fireplace maker's list. We also look at why the deposits built up, whether wet wood, smoldering fires or an oversized flue, so it does not happen again. For any fire that is still burning, get everyone out and call 911 first.

Once the danger has passed, call us. The post-fire inspection in Rio Grande Park is free. We are family owned and operated, every repair is priced in writing before we start, and work booked within 72 hours after the inspection is 10% off. The repair work carries our workmanship warranty.