Firesafe Industries - Guardian Chimney Liner, Guardian Chimney, Guardian S.C.R. Smoke Chamber

For the discerning clients that demand the utmost safety for their homes and families, the Guardian S.C.R. smoke chamber restoration system is unsurpassed.

Through advanced ceramic engineering and extensive research and development, the Guardian S.C.R. system is the most thoroughly tested and approved procedure to date. The Guardian S.C.R. cast-in-place process restores the critical smoke chamber area of a masonry chimney with only 1” thickness. No other product has passed the stringent Underwriters Laboratory U.L. 2505 test at 1” thickness. The unique chemistry of the Guardian S.C.R. material provides the greatest thermal barrier available, which protects surrounding framing from dangerous levels of heat transfer. With 1” of Guardian S.C.R. material, combustible objects such as wall studs, floor joists, and roof trusses are permitted to be in direct contact with the exterior surfaces of the chimney smoke chamber. Additionally, the chemistry of the Guardian S.C.R. material and the method by which the system is installed dramatically increases the structural integrity of the entire smoke chamber area. The Guardian S.C.R. material actually penetrates into the smoke chamber walls creating an internal, reinforcing matrix binding the smoke chamber surfaces together.

Ideal for restoring corbelled and irregular smoke chamber walls, the Guardian S.C.R. system creates smooth interior walls that typically enhance the performance or draw of the fireplace. The Guardian S.C.R. system is also ideal when the flue is being relined with stainless steel. With the Guardian S.C.R. system, the transition from the smoke chamber into the new stainless steel flue is streamlined, again, creating increased performance of the fireplace.

Of equal importance, once properly installed, the Guardian S.C.R. process renders the smoke chamber compliant with the stringent 2006 International Residential Building Code for One and Two Family Dwellings. This critical sanction protects your client and you—the contractor.

When your clients demand the best, the solid choice is Guardian S.C.R.

Product History
The Guardian S.C.R. smoke chamber restoration system is a hybrid of the Guardian cast-in-place chimney liner. The chemistry of the S.C.R. material provides a strong bond to all masonry surfaces, and an insulating barrier that is of the highest R-value tested. The Guardian S.C.R. smoke chamber provides structural integrity and a smooth, efficient transition into the base of a stainless steel flues or vitreous clay flue liners. A minimum of 1” thickness is required for zero clearances. The Guardian S.C.R. system is ideal when the original smoke chamber is too large, and must be redesigned; the smoke chamber is severely deteriorated, or the smoke chamber is impossible to parget correctly at 1½” thickness.

Product Testing Overview
The UL 2505 test chimney is constructed to the extreme “worst case scenario” design, which, although, is the most difficult test to pass, provides the greatest protection for the contractor and homeowner should the testing prove successful.

The UL 2505 test standard requires a masonry firebox and smoke chamber, and a flue area that is lined with vitreous clay flue liners. The measurements of the test firebox were 42” w X 32” ht, and the interior flue measured 10” X 10.” For NFPA 211 and IRC code compliance, the test firebox requires a flue area of 134 in2; the 10” X 10” test flue was undersized by 34 in2 or 26%. The undersized flue is intentional in order to duplicate a poorly drafting fireplace, which causes excess heat to build up throughout the smoke chamber area.

Once the Guardian S.C.R. system was installed in the test chimney, and the chimney cured for 30 days, the 1st test was performed. The 1st test, Brand Fire Test, involved burning a specific type of wood in the firebox until a temperature plateau was reached. Over 200 thermal couplers attached to the exterior of the test chimney constantly monitor and record temperatures. During the test, the thermal couplers cannot measure temperatures 90 degrees F above ambient. Once the Brand Fire Test was successfully passed, the Flash Fire Test was performed. The Flash Fire Test, too, involved burning a specific type of wood, but the volume of the wood was doubled. The flame from the Flash Fire Test actually traveled from the firebox, through the smoke chamber and flue area, fracturing the flue liners and oxidizing the stainless steel rain cap. The temperatures during the Flash Fire Test could not pass 140 degrees F above ambient. The Guardian S.C.R. system passed. The remaining tests, Resistance to Action of Acids… and Freeze/Thaw were also successfully passed.