Chimney Repairs Cheltenham

CHIMNEY REPAIRS CHELTENHAM

Turner Baker Ltd has over 15 years experience with chimney repairs Cheltenham and other chimney services. Call our team today on 01242 649660 to find out more about our chimney repair services.

A chimney is an integral feature of most properties, particularly older buildings. In previous years, the chimney was one of the most important parts of a property due to the fact that it facilitated the generation of heat for warmth and cooking.

Nowadays, chimneys are mostly used for wood-burning or gas stoves or open fires as back up heat in the winter months and to provide a welcoming ambience in a room in the UK.

In many properties they are left unused, or taken down if they are no longer in use.

A chimney, as part of a property must be regularly maintained and looked after correctly whether it is being used or not.

If a chimney is being used with a stove or an open fire, it must be regularly maintained or repaired. We recommend regular sweeping as an important part of a good chimney maintenance programme.

It is recommended that you have your chimney swept at regular intervals for the different fuel types. We recommend the following frequency:

  • Smokeless fuel: At least once a year
  • Wood – Quarterly when in use
  • Bituminous coal – Quarterly (when chimney is in use)
  • Oil – Every year
  • Gas – Every year

Additionally, it is important to remember that the inside of your chimney is liable to breakdown with age and use. This is similar for the external structure too. If your chimney and flue is very old and has been used to burn coal previously, it may also have issues with salt deposits. These will continue to wear away at the brickwork long after being deposited into the chimney.

 

The main solution to protecting the internal structure of your chimney or flue is to have it professionally lined. This will ensure that it is safe to use.

A flue liner is, in simple terms a tube that fits down inside of an existing chimney or even, if it is an older property, an existing flue. Flue liners are available in many different materials including stainless steel, pumice, silica polymer and thermosetting resin.

Flue liners are obligatory for new build properties in accordance with building regulations noted in Document J.  This means that if you are building a new property with a usable chimney for heating purposes, you must ensure that it is suitably lined.

These are the following chimney liners that we can supply and fit:

Furanflex liners from Turner Baker

A relative newcomer to the market is the Furanflex thermosetting resin lining system. In laymen’s terms, this refers to a liner that is supplied as a soft malleable material which can be inserted into a chimney. It is then steamed, which is also known as being ‘cured’, into a hardened structure that is resistant to the heat and high temperatures your chimney will endure.

After being introduced in 2010, the Furanflex followed a rigorous testing programme to ensure that the product met UK standards. The product has been certified by BBA (British Board of Agreement. Read more here www.bbacerts.co.uk).

There are many benefits for you to use a Furanflex lining system. Firstly, the product is installed as a flexible tube which means easy installation for properties with chimneys that have bends in them, and is often is the case for a lot of older properties.

The liner can be installed freestanding and it will mould to fill and take the existing shape of the chimney. This then maximises the cross-sectional area of the flue. Various other lining systems are a set shape and may reduce the size of the flue which in turn affects performance and potentially creates a hazard.

Additionally, it be removed if necessary as the Furanflex liner doesn’t adhere itself to the chimney. This makes it an ideal option for heritage properties that hold listing restrictions which won’t allow for any permanent changes to the building structure.

The Furanflex lining system is guaranteed for 25 years. In the event of a chimney fire, systems such as stainless steel will need to be replaced before a flue can be used again, whereas the Furanflex system is able to withstand very high temperatures. In theory it should be able to withstand a chimney fire. However, any flue that has suffered a chimney fire should always be inspected along its length prior to being reused.

Stainless steel flue liners By Turner Baker

The entry point into chimney and flue linings is a liner made of stainless steel.

Stainless steel can be available in either a flexible format (to accommodate bends in the chimney or flue) or as a rigid piece. Flexible stainless steel liners are supplied as one whole long piece, whereas rigid stainless steel is supplied in sections that are slotted together.

Flexible stainless steel flue liners are available from Turner Baker Ltd for either multi fuel stoves or for gas and oil appliances in the property.

The Positives and Negatives of Stainless Steel Liners

Positives

  • Relatively inexpensive
  • Can be installed as a freestanding unit either on the inside or outside of the property
  • Can be used for general chimney repairs on existing flues

Negatives

  • Short lifespan – many stainless steel liners are only guaranteed for 10 years
  • Will not withstand damage from any chimney fire
  • Can corrode rapidly with the use of specific fuels
  • Easy to damage during installation
Chimney Repairs Cheltenham

Pumice Flue Liners By Turner Baker         

Isokern Flue Pumice is a natural insulator that separates pumice from all other chimney materials.

The insulating properties of Pumice allow the flue gases in the chimney to quickly reach their optimum temperature, which enables the heating appliance to reach its optimum performance shortly after lighting.

It also keeps the chimney warmer for longer as the heat output of the appliance decreases. This aids the performance and reduces the likelihood of condensation and soot build-up.

DM (DOUBLE MODULE)

The Isokern Double Module block system is a high quality chimney system, used extensively in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe. The double wall system maintains flue gas temperatures while preventing heat transference to the outer casing. The separation of the inner and outer components also allows for thermal movement, reducing the risk of cracking and subsequent leaking or staining. It is simple and quick to build. The Double Module is available in 3 outer casing sizes and is ideally suited to new builds and constructing entirely new flues and chimney stacks.

FLUE LINERS

The Isokern flue liner range consists of over 17 different sizes. They can be used for new build, extensions and relining existing chimneys for chimney repair.

Please call Turner Baker Ltd on 01242 649660 if you are interested in any of these chimney repair Cheltenham products and we will be happy to advise you on the system that is right for you.

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