A Mahtomedi, MN chimney sweep for older homes with clay flues
A chimney sweep in Mahtomedi, MN often starts with one question: is the original clay flue still doing its job? We sweep it, look inside, and tell you whether it needs a liner, especially after a new furnace, water heater or insert. Call, tell us what the house has, and we find you a time this week.
Open 7 days, 8am-8pm
Changed the furnace or planning an insert? Say so when you call.
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- Open 7 days, 8am-8pm
- 10+ years
- Licensed, bonded & insured
- Same-week, evenings & weekends
- Main routesI-694 and Mahtomedi Avenue, with Hwy 12 east-west, Hwy 244 (Dellwood Road) north-south and Hwy 36 to the south.
- On the lakeWhite Bear Lake is the main body of water, and the city lies along its shores.
- The nameMahtomedi comes from Dakota words for White Bear Lake.
Chimney sweep in Mahtomedi: is the original clay flue still up to the work?
A flue exists to carry smoke and gases out of the house, away from the walls. If your home is older and still has its original clay tile flue, that is worth a careful look. Clay tile can crack as it ages, and a crack lets heat and smoke reach the framing behind it. A liner is a new pipe, usually stainless steel, set inside the old flue so the gases stay in the pipe.
We check by sweeping first, then looking inside, with a camera when the job calls for it. A Level 2 inspection always uses one. If the tile is sound and the flue suits what is connected to it, we tell you so.
What changes when the furnace, water heater or insert changes?
Whatever vents into a chimney decides what the chimney has to handle. When one of those changes, the old flue may no longer suit it.
| What changed | What the flue now carries | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| A furnace or water heater swapped for a newer model | Cooler exhaust that can condense in an oversized flue | Flue size, tile condition and whether a liner fits |
| A wood stove vented into the fireplace flue | Hotter, more concentrated smoke | Whether the flue is lined for a stove |
| A gas insert in an old fireplace | Gases that vent differently from an open wood fire | Whether the flue needs lining to suit it |
These are the questions an inspection answers before any work is booked. You hear the result, in plain words, and you decide.
How to tell whether yours is clay tile or metal
With the fireplace cold, shine a flashlight up past the open damper. Clay tile looks like square or round sections of rough clay pipe stacked together. A metal flue looks like smooth steel. If you cannot tell, ask us on the call and we confirm it on the visit. Never climb to the roof to check.
A hairline crack and a wide gap are different problems. Whether cracked flue tile can be repaired turns on how wide and how deep it goes. Starting prices for liners, sweeps and inspections are on the services page.
Clay flues, liners and wood stoves
What owners of older homes ask us.
The previous owner never mentioned a liner. How do we find out if there is one?
A flashlight shows only the first stretch of the flue. A camera run shows all of it, including any liner, and tells us whether it is sound. That is part of every Level 2 inspection.
The tile has a hairline crack. Is it urgent?
Not always, but do not light a fire until someone has looked. A hairline crack can be harmless or can be the start of a gap. The camera shows how far it runs, and we tell you whether a liner is the answer.
Can a wood stove vent into my old fireplace flue?
Usually only with a proper liner. A stove burns hotter than a fireplace and can overstress an old flue. We inspect the flue first, then tell you whether it can take a stove as it is or needs lining.
Who decides whether I need a liner?
You do, with our findings in front of you. After the camera look we show you what we saw and say whether a liner is needed or the flue is sound. Nothing is installed until you agree.
Do you cover homes on the lakeshore and farther inland?
Yes, all of Mahtomedi. Give us your street when you call, and we schedule you for this week, with evening and weekend times open.
Close to Mahtomedi
Not sure what is inside the wall?
Tell us what the house has now and what changed. We take it from there.