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"Trust the Professionals to get it Right"
Chimney Lining Resources
Your chimney may need relining if one or more of the following
are true:
Your chimney was built without a liner
Your current chimney liner is cracked or damaged
You are changing the usage of the chimney
You wish to upgrade to modern safety standards
Many options exist for chimney relining, the three primary
methods are:
Clay Flue Tile Replacement
Ceramic clay flue tiles are most commonly found in chimneys
venting an open, wood burning fireplace. Many times the chimney
contains a second or even third flue which is frequently used to
vent the furnace and water tank. Clay tiles come in a variety of
square, rectangular, and round configurations and stand 24
inches tall. They are stacked on top of each other inside the
chimney and must be given space to expand and contract between
the brick walls of the chimney. Often, the damage to these flues
is contained in the top 2 or 3 sections making replacement
relatively easy and inexpensive. However, a chimney fire or
other thermo generated shock may cause the liner to crack much
lower in the chimney. If this is the case it often makes more
sense to install a factory built and warranted stainless steel
liner or a complete cast in place system.
Factory Built Stainless Steel Chimney Liners
Factory built chimneys are currently the standard in new
construction. Double wall galvanized chimneys, Type-B vents,
have been used for decades with gas fired boilers and furnaces.
This type of pipe is also used for direct vent gas fireplace.
Stainless steel chimney components are frequently used to vent
wood burning fireplaces and stoves in addition to oil fired
furnaces and boilers. Lighter weight Stainless Steel components can be
used for high efficiency gas furnaces and water tanks. These
liners are inexpensive and often required when venting gas
appliances into a masonry chimney.
Your chimney was built without a liner
A single wall brick chimney is extremely hazardous. The purpose
of a liner is to protect the house from heat transfer to
combustibles. An unlined chimney allows enough heat to transfer
through and ignite wood structures in just a few hours. Liners
also protect the chimney structure from the corrosive byproducts
of combustion. If the flue gases penetrate to the brick and
mortar the usable life of the chimney decreases. Flue gases are
acidic and literally eat away at the mortar joints from inside
the chimney. Heat transfers more rapidly to the nearby
combustibles and dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide can
leak into the living areas of the home. Liners allow for a
correctly sized flue, improving the performance and safety of
the appliance being vented. An under or over sized liner can
allow the production of carbon monoxide which then leaks into
the structure.
Your current chimney liner is cracked or damaged
Your current liner could be damaged due to incorrect sizing,
lack of cleaning, thermo shock, chimney fire, or just general
deterioration from acidic flue gases. Just as a car muffler
needs periodic replacement, so does your chimney liner. Your
flue should be visually inspect at least once per year by an
equipped and experienced professional. If there is any reason to
suspect cracked or damaged liners this should be confirmed by a
video camera inspection of the entire flue.
You are changing the usage of the chimney
You should consider relining when making the following changes:
- Converting an open fireplace to a woodstove insert, gas fired
insert, or gas log set
- Installing a new furnace or water heater
- Switching from oil or coal fired equipment to gas fired
equipment
- Adding an additional appliance to a flue already in use
- Relocating appliances further away from the existing chimney
You wish to upgrade to modern safety standards
If your structure was built more than 20 years ago there is a
good chance you could improve the safety and efficiency using
modern methods. The most common improvements are to fireplaces
and furnaces venting through masonry chimneys. New stainless
steel and aluminum liners are relatively easy upgrades and in
many cases can be professionally installed in just a few hours.
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