Chimneys are almost an ancient technology: thousands of years ago, the Romans used tubes inside of walls to draw smoke out of establishments such as bakeries. However, true chimneys, the large brick and cement structures you’re used to seeing in buildings and homes, didn’t appear until the 12th century in Europe. In the United Kingdom, it’s actually considered lucky for a bride to see a chimney sweep on her wedding day. Although today’s average chimney-sweep individual looks nothing like they used to hundreds of years ago, having your chimney properly lined and cleaned is still very important.
Chimney liners and chimney flue liners are crucial components of your chimney. In fact, not investing in the proper chimney flue liners, and not cleaning your chimney annually isn’t only dangerous, it can become very costly to repair the damages that have accumulated over the years from neglected chimney care. In fact, if a chimney is not properly cleaned, dangerous fires can result, even burning at over 2,000 degrees in some cases. On the other hand, chimney flue liners and other chimney accessories can help improve the energy efficiency of your home, and enable “greener” living as well.
A common problem among most chimneys is that they develop deposits of creosote. Creosote is a typical occurrence that happens from burning wood. Burning wood, no matter how you do it, releases pollutants in both gas, and particulate matter. Over time, these pollutant gasses and particles can build up in a chimney, producing a gummy, foul smelling, corrosive and extremely combustible substance known as creosote. Although the build-up of creosote can be dangerous, correctly fitting a chimney liner can help reduce creosote buildup, and cleaning a chimney, or having it inspected for creosote build-up each year will keep your chimney and your home out of harms way.