Chimney flue repair in University

Gaps where one tile meets the next

The joints between flue tiles are supposed to be tight. Section R1003.12 of the Florida residential code calls for clay flue liners laid with tight mortar joints left smooth on the inside. When mortar erodes or was never placed fully, the joint opens.

An open joint can leak flue gases and condensate into the chimney masonry even when every tile is intact. We look at joints section by section where the flue can be seen, and we record which ones are open. Joint repair and full tile damage are priced as different work.

Repairing joints near the top of the flue

Joints close to the top of the chimney can often be reached directly. Old material is cleared out and the joint is packed with a suitable refractory mortar or a listed repair product.

Reach is the limit. A joint a few feet down is workable. One halfway down a tall chimney usually is not, without a system designed for working at a distance. We tell you which joints can be repaired directly and what the options are for the rest. Joints repaired from the top are cleaned out first, so the new material bonds to sound tile rather than to crumbling mortar.

Repair or reline, how the choice is made

The decision between a local repair and a new liner rests on a handful of findings. We record each one and show you how they point toward one option or the other.

Where the findings are mixed, we say so and give you both options in writing.

• How many sections are damaged, and where
• Whether the tiles are still in line and supported
• Whether damage is visible end to end or only in part
• What the flue serves now and will serve later
• Whether a listed repair system fits the flue's condition

How long the fireplace stays out of use

The time a fireplace is out of use depends on the repair and the product's curing instructions. A section replaced at the top may be ready sooner than a resurfaced flue.

We give you the expected return date in writing before starting, so you can plan around it. If the weather or a finding changes that, we tell you. Plan around that date rather than a hopeful guess. Lighting a fire early can crack a coating or a fresh joint before it has set, and then the repair has to be done again.