As environmental standards are a hot topic at the moment it is essential that everyone fully appreciates what can and cannot be achieved when maintaining a chimney. It seems that many are still unclear about the effect chimney maintenance may have on the serviceability of the structure and the levels of toxins produced.

Does regular maintenance make a chimney more environmentally friendly?

Chimney maintenance deals with the operational serviceability of the structure and has no real bearing on environmental issues. Corrosion development on the internal face of the chimney will slightly affect the hydraulic performance of the stack and potentially reduce the efflux velocity of overall plume dispersion. However, this does not alter the aggressive nature of the flue gas and doesn’t have any significance from an environmental point of view.

I cannot stress the importance of trust between client and contractor. Essentially, choosing a reliable contractor means that they are honest and upfront when it comes to what can and can’t be achieved through maintenance – even if at times the answer you receive is not what you would like to hear.