To ensure your fireplace is safe to use, we want all smoke and remanences of the fire to have a clear and consistent pathway through the fireplace without being able to escape into the void of the fireplace, where chimney fires cannot be contained and have a massive amount of destruction not only to your chimney but your home that is connected to the chimney. When it comes to damage in your fireplace there are 4 essential parts of your fireplace that need to be addressed before having a safe wood-burning fire.

From bottom to the top the first essential part of your fireplace is the Firebox. The Firebox will be looked at to see if there is any cracks or gaps in the brick and mortar to ensure no smoke, sparks, or combustibles can escape behind into the void of your fireplace.

The next important part of your fireplace and its operation is the Damper. The Damper will give you access to your flue, it acts as a door that when opened allows smoke to relieve into the flue and out your chimney. Making sure that your damper can properly open and fully seal while closed is imperative to using your fireplace and reducing your heating bill in the cold months of the year.

The Smoke Chamber is the catalyst between your Firebox and your Flue System. The smoke chambers purpose is to taper the smoke from your firebox safely into the flue system. The smoke chamber will be checked to make sure there is no cracks or gaps in the brickwork leading into the void, similarly to the firebox.

The Flue System is the last portion of your chimney that smoke will filter out through.  Making sure that there is no defects, like cracks gaps in the flue tiles, is important to reduce risk of a chimney fire. Flue tiles can also be damaged due to water damage, winter weather, or natural shifting of the tiles due to rapid change in temperatures. Original flue systems with flue tiles are very often damaged and need to be repaired with a more permanent solution being a stainless steel flue lining system.