Smoke Chamber Repair

The chimney smoke chamber is a critical component that often goes unnoticed. Concealed just above the firebox, it’s never visible under normal conditions. However, the integrity of this structure is essential for safe and efficient fireplace operation.

Advanced Chimney Sweep provides smoke chamber parging and chimney repair services throughout the greater Greenville, SC and Spartanburg, SC regions.

The Purpose of a Smoke Chamber

Smoke chambers are designed like upside-down funnels that receive smoke and gases from the fireplace and route them up into the chimney flue. It’s a highly efficient method of transfer – as long as the smoke chamber is in good shape.

Smoke Chamber Problems

Most of the smoke chamber problems we see are caused by poor construction and materials. Standard bricks aren’t resistant to the high heat within a smoke chamber and can absorb enough heat to begin drying out framing and wall materials near the chamber. This could lead to a fire.

Additionally, the mortar between the chamber’s bricks can eventually begin to crumble away, leaving gaps and breaks that can allow flames and dangerous combustion gases to escape.

Over time, large areas of a smoke chamber’s surface can develop rough patches that will collect creosote. If the chamber was built with corbeling (a stair-step design), even more creosote will build up.

Chimney Fires

Among all the reported chimney fires each year, as many as 60% start in smoke chambers.

Vast amounts of trapped creosote, which is highly flammable, along with degraded chamber surfaces, can lead to a devastating fire not only in the chimney system but also in parts of your home.

Smoke Chamber Parging Is the Solution

Solving smoke chamber issues begins with a thorough chimney inspection to determine the chamber’s exact condition, allowing us to decide on the best approach to address any problems found.

After removing built-up creosote, our crew will coat the smoke chamber surfaces with a strong layer of heat-resistant masonry cement. The result will be a smooth chamber that efficiently moves smoke from the fireplace to the chimney and doesn’t trap creosote.

Chimney Inspections

Since you can’t know the exact condition of the smoke chamber, we recommend scheduling annual chimney inspections. This should be done whether damage is known or suspected.

We’ll inspect the smoke chamber, as well as all other readily accessible areas and parts of your chimney system. Our licensed chimney inspectors are trained to spot the earliest signs of trouble and resolve them before major problems occur.

Call Your South Carolina Chimney Experts for Smoke Chamber Parging

If it’s been more than a year since your last smoke chamber inspection, now is the time to call Advanced Chimney Sweep. You can count on our crew for a safer and more efficient chimney system.

We proudly serve Duncan, Boiling Springs, Five Forks, Simpsonville, Roebuck, and other South Carolina communities in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.