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Local Smoke Chamber Repair for Jacksonville Fireplaces

Rough, stepped smoke chambers cleaned and troweled smooth with refractory mortar by local, family-owned masons. Ask for a free chamber inspection.

  • Fully licensed and insured
  • Locally owned
  • Family owned and operated
  • Same-day service
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Get a quote for chimney and fireplace repair and installation in Jacksonville.

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Why choose us

The smoke chamber sits just above the damper where you cannot see it, and rough brick there slows the smoke and catches deposits. Local, family-owned masons clean it, rebuild anything loose, and parge the walls smooth with refractory mortar. We show you the before and after with a flashlight, the price is in writing first, and work booked within 72 hours of the inspection gets a 10% discount. We look at the chamber for free; call (904) 920-5495.

Smoke chamber work you can check with a flashlight

  • Locally owned in Jacksonville
  • Family owned and operated
  • 100% satisfaction guaranteed
  • Free inspection and estimate
  • Same-day service available
  • 10% off any service
  • Family owned and operatedThe family crew that cleans your chamber is the crew that parges it, so nothing is covered before it is checked.
  • Upfront pricing, no hidden feesThe parging material, any brick work and the cure time are named with the price before we start.
  • Free inspection and estimateThe chamber, the flue size and the cap are checked together at no charge, so you pay only for the fix that fits.
Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Smoke chamber repair above the damper

Just above the damper, where nobody looks, the smoke chamber funnels smoke from the wide fireplace opening into the narrow flue. Rough, stepped brick there slows the smoke and collects deposits. Smoke chamber repair cleans it, resets loose brick and parges the walls smooth with refractory mortar. It is part of our chimney repair work, done by local, family-owned pros, and a free inspection covers the chamber check.

  • Chamber cleaned so the brick can be judged
  • Loose or missing brick above the damper reset
  • Walls troweled smooth with refractory mortar
  • Smoke shelf cleared of fallen debris and repaired
  • Joint to the first flue tile closed up
Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

A smoke chamber after parging

A gloved hand spreads refractory parging over the sloped wall of a smoke chamber above a fireplace damper.

Smoke chamber parging in four steps

  1. Tell us how the fireplace draws

    Smoke at the opening, a smell or debris on the hearth all help. A free visit covers the chamber and the flue.

  2. Chamber cleaned and judged

    Soot comes off with brushes so the brick can be seen. Any glaze is removed first, because refractory mortar will not bond over it.

  3. Brick reset, walls troweled smooth

    Loose brick is reset and voids packed, then refractory mortar to ASTM C199 goes on in layers through the damper opening.

  4. Cured before the first fire

    The room stays covered while we work, and the fireplace rests for the cure time the product states, written on your ticket.

10% off any service booked within 72 hours of inspection

Chamber parging qualifies when you book it in the 72 hours after we look past the damper.

Call (904) 920-5495 Free Inspection

Parge the chamber or rebuild it

Parging finishes a sound chamber. These findings change the job.

What we findThe right fixWhat we also check
What we findStepped or rough walls, brick soundThe right fixClean and parge the chamber smooth with refractory mortarWhat we also checkThe joint at the first flue tile and the smoke shelf
What we findWalls too thin or too tall for the code limits, or holes to the outsideThe right fixA smoke chamber rebuild before any coat goes onWhat we also checkThe damper frame and the firebox below
What we findChamber sound, fireplace still smokyThe right fixLook at flue size, a blocked cap or house pressure firstWhat we also checkHow the flue compares with the fireplace opening

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The free chamber check, line by line

  1. Cleaning the chamber and shelf so the masonry can be judged
  2. Loose or missing brick in the chamber, reset or replaced
  3. The parging material, refractory mortar to ASTM C199 or a listed system
  4. The joint where the chamber meets the first flue tile
  5. Smoke shelf repair and removal of fallen debris
  6. Cure time before the next fire, taken from the product
  7. Protection for the room and hearth while the work is done

Smoke chamber questions

Will smoke chamber parging fix a fireplace that smokes?

If rough chamber walls are the cause, it helps a lot. Smoke problems also come from flue size or a blocked cap, and we check those first so you pay for the right fix.

Is smoke chamber repair done from inside the house?

Yes, through the firebox and the damper opening, with the room and hearth covered. We only go on the roof if the flue above needs work too.

How soon after parging can I light a fire?

After the cure time printed by the parging maker, which we write on your ticket. A fire lit too early can crack a fresh coat.

How should I prepare the room for chamber work?

Clear movable items from the hearth before the appointment. The smoke chamber is reached through the firebox and damper opening, so clear access helps the assessment. Call (904) 920-5495 to book the free check.

Can the chamber repair follow a sweep?

Usually the sweep comes first so we can see the brick, then the repair is booked. Both go on one written estimate, and no surprise charges appear later.

Chamber faults behind a smoky fireplace

  • Smoke rolling out at the opening's top

    Rough chamber walls can slow the draft. We also check the flue size and the cap, since both cause the same symptom.

  • Brick steps visible above the damper

    An unparged, corbeled chamber gives creosote ledges to settle on. We parge it into one smooth surface from damper to flue.

  • Mortar crumbs behind the damper

    The smoke shelf is catching falling mortar and nest material. We clear it, check it for cracks and make it sound again.

  • A gap where chamber meets flue

    Heat and smoke can reach the chimney wall there. The joint at the first flue tile is sealed as part of the parge coat.

Get the smoke chamber checked by a specialist

We look at the chamber, the shelf, the flue and the cap in one free visit and price only what needs work.

Free Inspection

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(904) 920-5495

Free inspection and written estimate

Full service details

The funnel above the fireplace damper

Above a masonry fireplace, the opening is far wider than the flue it feeds. The smoke chamber closes that gap. Its walls lean in from the damper to the bottom of the first flue tile, and the smoke shelf is the flat ledge behind the damper at the chamber's base. When a fireplace smoke chamber needs repair, the work covers that funnel and its shelf.

Factory-built fireplaces have no masonry smoke chamber. Their listed parts do that job, so repairs there follow the unit's own instructions.

What the code sets for a smoke chamber

Section R1001.8 of the Florida Building Code, Residential, covers the smoke chamber. The walls are solid masonry, eight inches thick in total, or six inches where they are lined with firebrick at least two inches thick or vitrified clay at least five-eighths of an inch thick. Inside, the code wants a smooth parge coat of refractory mortar that meets ASTM C199.

Section R1001.8.1 adds the shape. The chamber may be no taller, from the throat to where the flue begins, than the fireplace opening is wide. Rolled or sloped walls and prefabricated linings may lean inward up to 45 degrees from vertical, and corbeled brick walls no more than 30 degrees. A chamber outside those limits calls for a smoke chamber rebuild.

Smoke shelf repair and parging

The smoke shelf turns air that tumbles down the flue back upward, and it catches whatever falls down the chimney. Repairing it means clearing it, closing cracks and open joints, and leaving a solid, even surface that sheds water toward the firebox.

Parging by hand means troweling through a narrow damper opening, which is slow, careful work. For chambers that are hard to reach there are sprayed systems made for parging a smoke chamber, and the maker's instructions decide if one suits yours. Call (904) 920-5495 to book a free inspection of the chamber, the flue and the cap.

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