Smoke Chamber

Our Chimney Sweeping Leaves Your Indianapolis Chimney Cleaner & Safer

All of the components in your chimney system are important, but the smoke chamber, which is located just above the firebox and damper, plays an especially important role. This area is responsible for funneling smoke from the fire up into the chimney flue so it can exit the chimney and home.

Unfortunately, as a result of poor construction or lack of parging, this area is where more than half of chimney fires begin. The smoke chamber is made of corbelled brickwork to achieve its upside down funnel shape and to direct smoke swiftly up into the flue. But if it’s not parged smooth, the brick and mortar that make up the smoke chamber will develop cracks and damage as a result of years of heat and corrosive acids and byproducts. When this happens, the heat of the fire will be absorbed by the cracked and crumbling brick, drying up the wood in the walls surrounding the fireplace and chimney. As this wood dries out and heat from the fire seeps into the walls, the wood can ignite and a house fire can rapidly spread.

Do You Know What Kind Of Condition Your Smoke Chamber Is In?

The best way to identify smoke chamber damage is to schedule annual inspections with a Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)-certified chimney sweep. Those of us here at Chimney Solutions specialize in chimney inspections, and will carefully and thoroughly evaluate your smoke chamber. We’ll check for proper construction and make note of any damage. We’ll also check for proper parging. Construction codes haven’t always required smoke chambers to be parged, but the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) currently requires all smoke chambers to be professionally parged smooth for the safety of the homeowner.

What Does It Mean To Parge A Smoke Chamber Smooth?

Parging simply refers to the process of applying a specially formulated mortar product to the entirety of the smoke chamber. This product works to fill in any holes or cracks, smooth over any jagged surfaces, and provide an even, smoke-tight surface.

Here at Chimney Solutions, we use Chamber-Tech 2000, which is a U.L. listed product that helps keep heat from transferring to nearby combustibles. Because this hand-applied product leaves a smooth surface and fills any cracks and gaps, it is proven to boost system efficiency and safety. Without cracks, gaps, holes, or jagged surfaces, air can flow freely from the firebox to the flue.