Flue Liners to Solve Draft Problems

Fireplace Draft

• The draft for a fireplace is created by the flue to draw smoke up the chimney. Problems occur when the draft is reduced from blockages or problems with the flue. Other types of draft problems can happen when you have fireplaces sharing a chimney on different levels of your home. Smoke from an active fireplace can flow back into a cold fireplace on another level of your home. A chimney built too short does not create enough draft to pull smoke up the flue.

Flue Liner

• The flue liner needs to be a different material than the brick and mortar chimney. The liner should be a nonporous, heatproof material, such as ceramic tiles, metal or clay. The flue liner protects the chimney from acidic residue from burning wood and from chimney fires. An unlined chimney raises the risk of a house fire by allowing heat to pass through an unlined chimney, heating adacent wooden structure. According to "Light the Country Fire: The Homeowner's Guide to a Neglected Skill," by Karen Bokram, heat in an unlined chimney can cause wood structures adjacent to the chimney to catch fire in three-and-a-half hours.

Flue Liners to Solve Draft Problems

• Draft problems solved by flue liners include seepage of smoke from the sides of the chimney or smoke flowing back into the room. Codes now require all chimneys to have a flue liner. If your liner becomes damaged, parts of it can fall and create a block in the air flow, redirecting smoke into your home. Examine your flue carefully for cracks in the liner or a missing liner. If you notice any problems, you need to reline it.

Draft Problems Caused by Flue Liners

• Occasionally, flue liners can create draft problems. If you add a flue liner to your chimney that is too thick, it narrows the size of the flue. This could lead to smoke blowing back into the room instead of being pulled up the chimney. The flue, according to Hector Seda in "Home Repair That Pays Off: 150 Simple Ways to Add Value Without Breaking Your Budget," the flue needs to be at least one-eighth the size of the fireplace opening to create an adequate draft for your fire.