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ian61478

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I just had my roof replaced, and the chimney repointed. I was asked if I would be using the fireplace, and I responded yes. I was told I needed a new chimney flu. I looked up a few chimney sweeps to evaluate what needs to be done. I keep looking up chimney flu and I also get chimney liner. Are they both the same thing?? The liner kits I see range from $300.00 to about $800.00. I just wanted to know what I could be getting myself into.

Thanks
 
Ask to see the actual text of the law. Our gas company says it's now the law to have a liner put in for certain cases, including ours.

To get an impartial estimate I went to a company that supplies materials to do this (but no retail sales :().

With an installed price of three kilobucks for our chimney I'm looking into getting Chimfex and maybe make/buy a chimney fire detector. Hopefully there is a big difference in chimney output temperatures between normal and 'fire'. The normal is easy enough to measure but I'll depend on the Web to tell me chimney fire temps.
 
Yes it is wood burning. When I bought the house I was told the chimney should be repointed. And had it looked at in November. I had a little sticker shock and figured well its that season so higher prices and just did not use it.
The roof was just replaced and they repointed the chimney but said there was no flu. Is the flue and liner the same thing or separate items. I have a chimney sweep company coming out sept 1 but wanted to have a better idea so I did not get screwed over
 
what is a chimney flue ? http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-chimney-flue.htm#didyouknowout,,, liners are usually square clay pieces stacked on top of ea other as the chimney's built but, in older chimneys, sometimes there's no liner,,, retro fit can be anything - we used triple-walled insulated stainless steel which was o'kill but avail as it was left over from another job,,, IF your chimney's in good condition, consider s/s flex pipe,,, of course you'll have to size it right to maintain proper draft + seal it @ the smoke shelf,,, this may be above many diy'ers skill level
 
not so quik, mr speedy,,, there's a formula for flue size & it encompasses smoke shelf dimensions + fireplace opening,,, don's ask me what it is as i o'bld everything,,, eg, our 1st kitchen table was 4x4's w/2x6's tabletop which later became my work bench
 
The glazing on the flue tiles is subject to the 'acids' (not sure if acid is the right word) carried in the smoke and will eventually deteriorate. The liner is designed to insert in the flue and create a safer chimney.
 
IF your chimney's in good condition, consider s/s flex pipe,,, of course you'll have to size it right to maintain proper draft + seal it @ the smoke shelf,,, this may be above many diy'ers skill level
I think you first have to remove the creosote. I suppose you could have a fire between the liner and the flue tiles.
 
cold fires create creosote which, for a diet, eats clay chimney liners :beer: i dunno know if acid's the right term but the effect's sure as hell acid-like,,, good catch, 'steady
 
Thanks for all the info... I just wanted a better understanding before they look at it in 2 weeks... I know the chimney needs a cleaning and while that is taking place they will have their camera video what else may be down there. I just hate not knowing info before hand
 
I think you first have to remove the creosote. I suppose you could have a fire between the liner and the flue tiles.

I wouldn't imagine any pro would insert one in a chimney that hasn't been recently cleaned. But it does not have to be spotless. The liner is sealed to the fireplace above the damper.
 
I checked a little further: it is sulphuric acid that is formed:
Cement is alkaline, and is attacked by the acids formed in the smoke whilst in the flue. e.g., sulphur burns to give sulphur dioxide, and this reacts with water (also in the flue gases) to give sulphuric acid. Sulphuric acid reacts with the calcium hydroxide particles in the cement and turns them into calcium sulphate.
Got that quote from this site: http://www.chimneysweepcambridge.co.uk/faqs/
 
So the person came today to look at the chimney. He gave me a few options. 1 only burn candles in the fireplace. 2 get a wood stove insert. Or 3 replace the whole chimney. His vote was #2 so I can at least burn something in it. Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer.
 
So the person came today to look at the chimney. He gave me a few options. 1 only burn candles in the fireplace. 2 get a wood stove insert. Or 3 replace the whole chimney. His vote was #2 so I can at least burn something in it. Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer.

...which, of course, he was willing to sell you. A fireplace insert would still use the same chimney, so how does he figure it would be okay for one and not the other. Get another opinion. There are lots of guys hustling for a few bucks in this industry. It's hard to find an honest one. I had a sweep once who came in with a camera. He told my wife (I wasn't home) that the fireplace was in terrible shape, the metal was rusted out and had perforations. We asked him back when I was home and he brought his camera again. He stuck it up the flue, showed me the ashes on top of the firebox and said that was all rust. I asked where the holes were, and he said "do I have to take my screwdriver and punch holes in it for you" (or something like that). I told him we'd think about it. I called two more guys and no one found perforations.
 

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