Chimney relining means replacing the lining inside the chimney, not the brick outside it. The liner is the sealed channel that carries smoke, heat and combustion gases from the firebox up and out of the house. While it is intact you never think about it. When it cracks, the chimney stops being a sealed system.
Most masonry chimneys in Dallas Fort Worth were built with clay tile liners. Clay handles heat well and handles water, acid and sudden temperature swings badly. Over twenty or thirty years the tiles crack, the mortar joints between them wash out, and gaps open into the brickwork behind.
Once there are gaps, three things become possible. Heat reaches the framing timber built against the chimney. Combustion gases find their way into the rooms instead of going out the top. And creosote collects inside cracks where no brush can reach it.
A chimney with a failed liner is not a chimney that needs cleaning. It is a chimney that needs relining before it is used again.
Pieces of clay tile in the firebox. Small orange or buff coloured fragments sitting in the bottom of the fireplace are tile breaking off the liner above. This is the clearest single sign there is.
A chimney fire, even a small one. A flue fire takes the liner to temperatures it was never built for, and clay cracks under it. After any chimney fire the liner needs looking at before the fireplace is lit again.
Smoke coming back into the room. A liner that has lost its seal cannot hold the draft. Smoke rolling back into the room while the fire is drawing properly is usually a flue problem, not a damper problem.
White or rusty staining on the chimney breast. Moisture moving through a broken liner leaves salt deposits and rust marks on the plaster inside the house.
A gas appliance vented into an old masonry flue. Gas exhaust is cooler and wetter than wood smoke, and that moisture is acidic. Chimneys converted from wood to gas without a liner change are one of the most common relining jobs we see.
A flue that failed at inspection. Level 2 inspections during a house sale look inside the flue. A cracked liner shows up there and the sale usually stops until it is dealt with.
Want the detail first? Here is everything you need to know about chimney liner installation.
Stainless steel liners are what we fit in most cases. A single continuous run of stainless goes down the flue from the top, sealed at the top plate and connected at the appliance. There are no joints inside the chimney for gas to escape through. Stainless suits wood, gas and pellet appliances, and it does not care about acid condensation the way clay does.
Insulated stainless liners are the same thing with an insulation wrap. Keeping flue gases hot on the way up improves the draft and cuts creosote. On a chimney built against an exterior wall, or an oversized flue, insulation is often the difference between a chimney that draws and one that does not.
Cast in place liners are a poured cement product that forms a new smooth flue inside the old one and binds the masonry together at the same time. This is the option for a chimney where the structure itself has moved.
Clay tile is what is already in most of these chimneys. Replacing clay with clay means taking the chimney down from the top, which is why relining with stainless is normally the faster and less disruptive route.
Chimney relining starts with knowing what is actually wrong. A liner cracked across two tiles and a liner that has separated along its whole length are different jobs, and neither can be judged from the ground or from the hearth.
The inspection comes first on every job. We look at the firebox, the smoke chamber and the flue, and at what the chimney is connected to, because an open fireplace, a wood burning insert and a gas furnace each need a different liner size. Undersizing a liner chokes the appliance. Oversizing it kills the draft and coats the flue in creosote.
Then you are told what we found and what it costs before anything is ordered. If the chimney needs relining we say so. If it needs a cap, a crown repair and a clean instead, we say that too.
We look inside the flue and at what the chimney is connected to before quoting anything.
We tell you whether the chimney needs relining, a smaller repair, or neither.
The liner is sized, run in one piece, sealed at the top and connected at the appliance.
We check the draft, seal the top plate and photograph the finished work.
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Patricia TramTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Joy and Julio showed up and got our fireplace damper fixed and fireplace deep cleaned fast! Couldn't ask for a better service.Posted on Google![]()
Matt ParkerTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Joy and Julio were quick, professional and very informative. Definitely recommend.Posted on Google![]()
Jessica HalbertTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Joy and Julio did a great job! I recently moved into a house that hadn’t had the chimney cleaned in a long time. They cleaned it quickly and thoroughly.Posted on Google![]()
Tristin EnglishTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
The tech called and let me know when he would be here. Once he showed up, I wasn’t getting a good vibe and he was acting like he almost didn’t want to be there. I was asking for the basic chimney inspection, which it states “ Pricing Transparency • Chimney Inspection: $49. The front of the chimney was covered with some dry wall and screwed into the brick. The tech asked me why it was covered. I explained to him that it was like that when I moved in. He asked me again, almost with some frustration, why it was like that, and I explained to him again that it was like that when I moved in, so I’m not sure why. Eventually he was able to get the drywall off, and after using a few choice words while doing it and looked up into the chimney. He then went outside and looked at the top of the chimney. He let me know that I need a chimney cap. He proceeded to go to the roof and look down, inside the chimney. He let me know that it would need a deep clean as well, that’s fine. He told me he would get me a good price, but just for today for almost $1,700. I let him know I would have to think about it because we are getting ready to go out of town. He pressed again, telling me that he needs to know. I told him I could let him know by the end of the day. The price went from $49 to $150. Which, if they wanted to charge me more for him getting the drywall off the front of the fireplace, they could have said so and I would have been fine but there was no transparency. Instead they hit me with having to pay $150 and because I don’t have Venmo or Zelle, I had to use my card, which added an extra 8%, so my total came to $162. I appreciate y’all coming out but I’ll be choosing a different company.Posted on Google![]()
Farrah AbdelqaderTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Our technician Eddie was very professional and efficient. Thank you!Posted on Google![]()
Melissa RamosTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Joy and Julio were amazing! They did a great job . If I ever need more service I will def come back!!! 5 stars!Posted on Google![]()
Kody KrollTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Joy & Julio provided excellent service - they got my fireplace that hasn’t been used in years back in working condition quickly and sent me updates along the way!Posted on Google![]()
Roberto SanchezTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Ben/Yonani at Safe Air provided excellent and friendly service and saved me time & money on my chimney. Strongly recommend using Safe Air!!Posted on Google![]()
Monti TurnerTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Very thorough, they explained the entire process, clean operation.Posted on Google![]()
Isael MarquezTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
John did a fantastic job cleaning our chimney and making other recommendations that we needed. He was very professional and knowledgeable. We’re looking forward to using his services again next year.Verified by TrustindexTrustindex verified that these reviews were published on SafeAir Duct & Chimney's Google Business Profile. Learn more
If you have found tile fragments in the firebox, had a chimney fire, or been told at inspection that the flue has failed, do not light it again until it has been looked at. We work across Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, Arlington, Irving, Denton, Lewisville, McKinney and Mesquite.
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