Genesee County
Chimneys in Genesee County’s Housing Stock
Genesee County centres on Flint, with Grand Blanc, Flushing, Davison and Fenton around it. The housing stock is dominated by construction from the automotive boom years – large tracts built between the 1920s and the 1950s, much of it brick, nearly all of it originally on coal or early gas heat.
A chimney from that era has usually been through at least two heating systems. The most common configuration we find is an original unlined or clay-tile-lined masonry flue now venting a modern high-efficiency furnace it is far too large for.
Oversized Flues on Genesee County Conversions
When a furnace is replaced with a more efficient unit, the flue gases leave cooler. In an oversized masonry chimney those cooler gases slow down, condense on the flue wall, and soak acidic moisture into clay tile and mortar. The tile cracks, the mortar between tiles washes out, and the chimney stops containing what it is supposed to contain.
Relining with a correctly sized stainless liner is the standard fix and it is usually straightforward on Flint-area housing because the chimneys are generously built. What is not acceptable is leaving an oversized flue in service and calling it fine because it has not failed yet.