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Your chimney
may need relining if one or more of the following are true:
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Your
chimney was built without a liner
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Your
current chimney liner is cracked or damaged
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You
are changing the usage of the chimney
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You
wish to upgrade to modern safety standards
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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:
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Converting an open fireplace to a woodstove insert,
gas fired insert, or gas log set
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Installing a new furnace or water heater
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Switching from oil or coal fired equipment to gas
fired equipment |
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Adding
an additional appliance to a flue already in use
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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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