Can I use my fireplace while I wait for relining?

No. A damaged liner can let heat and carbon monoxide reach the house structure. Leave the appliance off until the flue has been inspected and verified.

My Cicero two-flat has an old brick chimney and a gas furnace. Does that need a liner?

Often it does. Older masonry chimneys that vent gas appliances may need a properly sized liner, and condensate from gas can attack unlined masonry. The camera inspection will show what your chimney needs.

Does relining need a permit in Cicero?

Permits in Illinois are issued locally, and relining a chimney commonly requires one. Rules vary between jurisdictions, so the technician should confirm with the local building department before work begins.

What should I ask the technician to show me?

Ask to see the camera footage of the flue and ask for the reasoning behind the recommendation in writing. Chimney work is not a separately licensed trade at the state level in Illinois. Ask about local registration and insurance, and check current requirements with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the local building department.

Does freeze-thaw weather damage a chimney liner?

It can contribute. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are hard on masonry chimneys in Cicero, and water that gets in at the crown can reach the flue. A chimney fire can also crack clay tiles.

Stop using the fireplace

Who to call for chimney relining in Cicero, IL

Cicero is mostly brick bungalows, two-flats and small multi-family buildings from roughly the 1910s through the 1940s, and many of them still have a masonry chimney. If someone told you the liner is cracked and needs relining, the liner inside that chimney has most likely split, shifted or worn through. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the work with independent sweeps and masons, and we are not the contractor. When you choose who comes out, look for someone who runs a camera through the flue, shows you the footage and gives you the reasoning in writing.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

Phones answered around the clock · free estimate

This is common here for two reasons. Cicero has cold, snowy winters with repeated freeze-thaw cycles, and Illinois has a long heating season that runs from about October into April. Flues see months of steady use, and wet-then-frozen masonry moves. Older chimneys also often vent a gas furnace or water heater, and those need a liner sized to the appliance.

While you wait — please don't

Stop using the fireplace or stove. A damaged liner can let heat and carbon monoxide reach the structure of the house, so the appliance should stay off until the flue is verified.
Get outside if you suspect carbon monoxide. If an alarm sounds or anyone feels unwell and you think it is carbon monoxide, leave the building and call 911.
Do not relight after a chimney fire. After any chimney fire the flue must be inspected before it is used again, because clay tiles crack in a fire.
Do not switch to gas without a liner. Converting to gas without relining leaves acidic condensate attacking the masonry.

What the technician does

Camera inspection firstThe technician runs a camera through the flue to see the cracks for themselves. Ask to see the footage.
Free estimate, then your approvalThe technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing begins until you approve it.
A liner matched to the applianceThat means a stainless steel liner sized to the appliance and insulated where required. Cast-in-place lining may be used where it is appropriate.
Appliance and flue matchedSize, material and termination are checked together so the appliance and flue work as one system.
Cap and crown addressed at the same timeThe top of the chimney is where water gets in, so it is dealt with during the same job.
Permit question answeredRelining commonly needs a permit in Illinois. Ask the technician to confirm with the local building department before work begins.

Why this happens in Cicero, IL

Cicero is a dense, older inner-ring suburb next to Chicago, with many century-old brick buildings on narrow lots. Aging masonry is one of the common maintenance issues. Illinois winters work on exposed brick through freeze-thaw cycles, which can cause spalled brick, cracked crowns and worn mortar joints. Wind-driven rain and snow add water at the crown, flashing and cap. Humid summers can trap moisture in masonry and in rarely used flues, and that can speed up liner corrosion.

Many Illinois homes of this age have full-height masonry chimneys with clay tile liners. Natural gas is the main heating fuel, so an older chimney often vents a furnace or water heater and needs a properly sized liner. Demand tends to rise in late fall and winter when cold snaps expose vent problems, and again in spring after storms and freeze-thaw damage. Masonry work such as crown repair is concentrated in warmer months, when mortar can cure without freezing.

Questions people ask

Can I use my fireplace while I wait for relining?: No. A damaged liner can let heat and carbon monoxide reach the house structure. Leave the appliance off until the flue has been inspected and verified.
My Cicero two-flat has an old brick chimney and a gas furnace. Does that need a liner?: Often it does. Older masonry chimneys that vent gas appliances may need a properly sized liner, and condensate from gas can attack unlined masonry. The camera inspection will show what your chimney needs.
Does relining need a permit in Cicero?: Permits in Illinois are issued locally, and relining a chimney commonly requires one. Rules vary between jurisdictions, so the technician should confirm with the local building department before work begins.
What should I ask the technician to show me?: Ask to see the camera footage of the flue and ask for the reasoning behind the recommendation in writing. Chimney work is not a separately licensed trade at the state level in Illinois. Ask about local registration and insurance, and check current requirements with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the local building department.
Does freeze-thaw weather damage a chimney liner?: It can contribute. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are hard on masonry chimneys in Cicero, and water that gets in at the crown can reach the flue. A chimney fire can also crack clay tiles.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and One Call Chimney will arrange an independent technician to inspect your chimney in Cicero. The estimate is free, and you will know the price and approve it before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 576-7943