If you’ve read through our blogs, you’ve probably come to learn that your chimney system is a lot more complicated than you originally thought it was. In fact, trying to remember all the components of your chimney and how they function can be a little overwhelming. The good thing is that to own a chimney system, you don’t need to be a chimney expert – that’s our job. We are chimney professionals here at Leonard & Sons, and today we want to discuss an often overlooked part of your chimney system, the smoke chamber.
What does your smoke chamber do?
Your smoke chamber is an inverted funnel that is located directly above your firebox. It’s job is to funnel large amounts of smoke and gases into your flue and out of your home. It’s funnel shape allows smoke and gas to be gradually compressed and guided into the flue instead of having to find its own way out of your chimney. The shape of the smoke chamber is a very important because it allows smoke and gases to be expelled from your chimney system quickly and smoothly. If smoke and other gases are allowed to stay in the chamber too long, smoke and gas can cool and condense on the inside of your chimney causing excessive creosote build up. Also, if gases like carbon monoxide are allowed to stay in your chimney system too long, it may be able to seep into your home through any holes or cracks in your chimney, potentially putting your family at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Keep your smoke chamber in tip-top shape!
Because of its location directly above the firebox, your smoke chamber is exposed to some pretty rough conditions. Exposure to high heat and corrosive gases can cause your smoke chamber to crack and deteriorate over time. This can cause your smoke chamber to become misshapen, allowing smoke and gases to linger longer in your chimney than is healthy. At Leonard & Sons we can help by repairing your smoke chamber through a process called parging.
To parge a smoke chamber, one of our expert masons will use a product called Chamber Coat to rebuild the inside of your smoke chamber. This is done by filling in any holes and cracks in your smoke chamber and then rebuilding the funnel until it is in the correct shape as well as nice and smooth. Once the Chamber Coat drys, you can use your chimney again.
Get inspected today!
The best way to know if your smoke chamber is working correctly is to have it inspected by a Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified chimney technician. At Leonard & Sons, our CSIA certified chimney technicians can inspect and rebuild your smoke chamber if necessary. Beat the spring rush and schedule your chimney inspection today by calling Leonard & Sons at 847-658-7659 or scheduling an appointment online today.
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