When do you think about chimney cleaning?
Right now is the perfect time to think about getting your chimney up and running, believe it or not, Christmas is only 8 weeks away! Meaning that wonderful fire that you want to have going as your family opens presents is closer than you may think. Getting your chimney inspected and cleaned now can prevent any mishaps from occurring when you least expect it.
Some parts are made to take the heat
Some parts in your fireplace are made and installed to absorb the majority of the heat that your firebox holds in order to prevent the firebox itself from getting too hot and warping or creating fires elsewhere. These parts are your refractory panels. (These are not needed in a masonry chimney.) Due to the amount of heat that your refractory panels take there are times that they need to be replaced, this is a simple process in most cases, the old ones are removed and the new are installed. There is no real way to give an approximate lifetime of a refractory panel due to the varying levels of burning and other use factors.
Extending the life of the refractory panels
There is one simple way to extend the life of your back refractory panel, which tends to be the first to show sings of wear, it is through a reflector shield. This is a 24 gauge metal shield that is installed in your firebox to help reflect the heat off of your back refractory panel. It really is as simple as it sounds.
Having a regular chimney cleaning schedule will help!
Getting your chimney cleaned before or after use each year, or every cord of wood that you burn will help to keep in the regular maintenance that can prevent as well as detect any problems like cracked or spalding spots in the bricks or the potential for needing the refractory panels replaced.
