Despite how they look, most chimneys in St. Croix County can not of handle all forms of exhaust. In fact, when you get your chimney serviced, it is vital to perform chimney flue liner cleaning, and if the chimney flue does not look capable of handling a few more winters, replace it. Here are some details on why this is so important and how you can ensure your family and home are safe with your current chimney.
Condensation and Flue Gasses
If your chimney liner is older and has not been updated in some time, then it is likely not optimized for high efficiency gas boiler or furnaces. Chimneys are designed to do one thing – vent flue gasses. However, since heating systems have become so much more efficient in recent years, they now release flue gasses at much lower temperatures as more heat is extracted from the exhaust.
The result is that gasses being released into your chimney or exhaust pipes are often just barely over the dew point, meaning they will cool in the chimney and condense into liquid – often containing dangerous, corrosive acids that can eat through the flue liner and start to leak through the external structure.
In a single hour of operation, a 150,000 BTU furnace can produce over a gallon of liquid lined with various acids that can eat right through your flue liner and cause damage to your house and present health problems to your family.
Proper Inspection and Upgrade
Not only can an increase in efficiency cause problems, but changing the type of exhaust can as well. Switching from gas to oil for example results in different exhaust and can create a problem with older flue liners.
For all of these reasons it is very important to have your current flue liner inspected for damage and to make sure it is sufficient for a new heating system. If it is not, it should be replaced immediately to ensure it will be enough to handle the gasses being released during combustion. Please call 2nd Generation Chimneys with any questions.