Chimney liner

[Cguignard]

I just had my chimney cleaned, he found a few cracks in the clay liners. The two thousand dollar replacement quote for a stainless steel liner was shocking. Has anyone done this them self before?  It looks to be quite straight forward. And do you have to pour in insulation around the new liner?

[Gary_C]

I don't know if that two thousand dollar quote is reasonable or not but the stainless steel liner can be life saving. My wife, oldest son and I almost died one night in an older farmhouse when some of the clay or plaster liner collapsed and almost blocked the chimney. Get it done somehow.

[Al_Smith]

Look at single wall stainless .If you have an existing flue it's a less expensive method .

[Al_Smith]

A few years back it cost me about $200 to install around 14 feet of single wall 22 gauge in an existing flue .I just stuffed fiberglass around it for the portion going on the roof side where it is exposed to outside cold air .The only portion that creosotes is about 6 inches at the top of the liner .That stuff is pyrolited hard not the gooey tar stuff that causes fires .

It is a 7 inch round stuffed into a 9 inch square clay liner .BTW you might find that stainless liners might be less expensive through a building supply house than through a stove and fire place shop ,I did .

[Holmes]

I put a 6" ss liner down my 8x8 tile flue a few years ago. It just fits if no concrete oozed out from between the tiles when they were  installed, but that can be broken off. The liner was $600 back then with an insulation blanket.  The blanket would not fit inside the flue. When I put the cap on the top of the flue with the liner going thru the cap I realized that the old flue chamber was now sealed off and that area would warm up nicely so no insulation was necessary.  The air space became the insulation. I have not had any problems yet in 8 years.

[MichaelMPerez]

Opt for steel liners for your chimney for any damage associated with the rocks or mortar. Have regular check done for  the lining , mortar , rocks, bricks for any kind of damages. The dangers associated with chimneys is not at all a new thing yet we keep hearing incidents of fire outbreak because of sheer complacency on our part. Read this article, 5 signs which indicates a chimney repair (http://www.royalyorkroofing.ca/blog/chimney-repair/5-signs-your-chimney-needs-a-repair/). Certain commercial roofing companies advise that the minimum safety measure one can take is to ensure that chimneys are cleaned of soot, and the fire fighting devices are at reachable distances.

[GRANITEstateMP]

We had to do a stainless insert in 2014.  I was doing a routine cleanout and noticed these cracks. 


 


 

We burn dry wood, and don't smolder it down BUT I'd been having a moisture problem.  Ended up going through the insurance company, it wasn't cheap but that's not a place I was willing to go cheap!  My Brother In Law is a chimney sweep and he did the breakout of the old ceramic liner and the install of the new stainless.  While breaking out the ceramic he found where the moisture was coming form.  Fixed that and installed liner.  Couldn't be happier with the whole deal.  We ended up borrowing a buddy's bucket truck to do the install, nobody likes my 12 / 12 pitch roof!



  

[hedgerow]

We have a old three story farm house with a 12 12 pitch on it also. When we put a new roof on 12 years ago we had a hard time finding a roofer that wanted to do it as it had two layers and it needed decked because of it had wood on the first layer with spaced roofing boards. We removed the old chimmey that went threw the center of the house and was leaking were it went they the roof. Main reason for the new roof as no one want to fix the leak. We have a Garn in a out building to heat the house with. The house had a old coal gravity furance that that chimmey serviced year ago.

[GRANITEstateMP]

Nice part of a 12 / 12 roof is the snow doesn't stick around too long!  No leaks yet.


 



 

[Mad Professor]

Check out Rockford or Olymipia products.

I brought a Rockford setup with: liner, cap, cover, cleanout-T, insulation kit (wrapon).  Not cheap but UL listed quality stainless, lifetime transferable warranty.

They do rigid and flexible and custom sizes if needed.  I installed for an air tight stove setup in an existing fireplace so got an ovalized flexible liner (custom) that dropped right in after I removed the damper. 

The insulation seems worth it as very little creosote buildup using hardwood as only heat all winter.  No cleaning needed during season, do it in spring or fall.

I spent about $1000 and did the installation in an afternoon.

[bluthum]

I used to use vermiculite insulation poured from a bag to insulate clay liners inside concrete block flues.
I wonder why this wouldn't be good around stainless relining projects.  There's no problem with  the uneven clearances because the little chunks fill all the space.

I keep wondering if there is some obvious downside to the vermiculite mainly because it never gets mentioned in any stainless relining info I've seen. Any one have any insight here?   

[bluthum]

Vermiculite update. I found out vermiculite was often contaminated with asbestos before 1990. You can still buy it recommended for insulating pipe.  How good of an idea it is I still wonder....

[Al_Smith]

Just as a reference if the figures are correct .Fiberglass melts at 1300 degrees F and vermiculite at 1260 .

[doctorb]

I had a new liner inserted last year when I switched out my old wood stove (not my OWB.  We use the indoor wood stove for a month or so on each end of the heating season).  Some cracks in the old ceramic liner were seen and a SS liner was inserted.  Flexible.  Able to snake past a couple of narrow spots in my chimney.  I do not recall the breakdown of the costs between my new indoor wood stove and the liner, plus installation, but the cost was not even close to $2000 for the liner.  Now every house and every chimney is different, but that figure seems a bit elevated to me, given my recent experience.  I can try and look for the receipt, if you would like me to investigate further.

[Al_Smith]

I don't know how it is in other areas of the country ,but in this neck of the woods if you go to a stove shop they are going to put the whammy to you as far as prices .

It's like they think everybody is a moron about this stuff .You can buy that stainless steel  flex liner at plumbing supply stores,building supply companies and over the internet if you want to .

I have no idea how the rest of you feel but I am not  about to get ripped off by some salesman who most likely has never cut a stick of wood in his life .