A chimney liner is obligatory if you are installing a woodburning stove, gas fire or open fire in a new build property to comply with Document J of current Building Regulations. A chimney liner may be necessary in an older property if the flue inside your chimney is no longer safe to use. Click to see full answer.
What are the best chimney liners?
Smooth-Wall Chimney Liner
- Extremely Strong 2-ply construction
- Kits available in 3"- 8" diameters
- Fully covered under lifetime warranty
- Unrestricted flow creates 20% Better draft over single-wall liners
- Easier to clean, fewer nooks & crannies for soot to collect in
- UL Listed to 1777 zero clearance standard
- Constructed with 316L grade stainless steel
What is the best chimney liner?
- Complete Do It Yourself installation instructions; We will support you before and after the sale
- RockFlex Chimney Liner Warranty; The only warranty that is transferable to the next homeowner
- UL1777 Listed in the USA and ULCS635 in Canada; Flexible liners are only to be installed inside a masonry chimney
What is the cost of installing a chimney liner?
They also provide the additional benefit of improving the efficiency of appliances, which reduce your overall utility costs. The average cost to have a chimney liner installed ranges from $1,800 to $4,000, with most homeowners paying about $2,500. However, costs could be as low as $625 for easy-to-install materials like aluminum.
How to install a new chimney liner yourself?
Things You'll Need
- Stainless steel chimney liner
- Chimney liner installation kit
- Protective gloves
- Monkey wrench
- Measuring tape
- Tin snips
- Adhesive spray
- Silicone caulk
- 4 tap con screws
Does a wood burning chimney need a liner?
Although it is not necessarily a legal requirement to fit a flue liner for a woodburning stove, most stove installers would recommend you install one as in most cases it can be hard to determine the quality and potential performance of the chimney just by looking at it.
Do you really need a chimney liner?
A chimney liner might not seem like an important part of your chimney, but in reality, it's extremely important and improves the safety of your fireplace and home. Additionally, a chimney liner is required to be present to pass inspection for property transfer.
Is an unlined chimney safe?
Homes with an unlined chimney are at a greater risk of chimney fires. With temperatures that can soar to well over 1,200°F, the sizzling heat and intense fumes along with burning embers can be a recipe for igniting a roof fire.
How much does it cost to put in a chimney liner?
The average cost to have a chimney lined by a professional is going to be about $2500. Depending on the type of chimney liner, it could cost up to $10,000. The average DIY chimney liner installation is going to cost about $750 and could cost as high as $3000 for the material.
Why do we need flue liners?
Flue liners are needed for a number of reasons: The chimney or flue may have lost integrity over time and may become eroded and rough. This causes frictional resistance that can stop air being drawn up the chimney efficiently.
What happens if a chimney is too cold?
If the chimney is too cold, smoke won’t rise through the chimney properly. This can leave tar and condensation which eventually bleeds through the wall into the house, leaving stains. NB: tar can still build up in a liner, potentially blocking it.
Can you sign off a chimney liner?
Certain tests can be done but most installers would not sign off a job unless a liner was installed as they are liable. If you are self-installing and are choosing not to line the chimney you would have to convince the building control signing the job off that the chimney is suitable and up to standard.
Can you use a flue liner on a stove?
Fitting a flue liner for your stove is easy to do with common household tools, and will save you from having to make costly repairs that might come from not using one in the long run.
Do you need a flue liner for a wood burning stove?
Although it is not necessarily a legal requirement to fit a flue liner for a woodburning stove, most stove installers would recommend you install one as in most cases it can be hard to determine the quality and potential performance of the chimney just by looking at it. Certain tests can be done but most installers would not sign off a job ...
What Do Chimney Liners Do?
In a nutshell, chimney liners make the chimney and chimney stack safer over time. Let’s break down how exactly they do that.
Protects Chimney Masonry
Traditional brick and mortar chimneys without liners can do the job, but they also put your health at risk. Over time, an unlined chimney can have its mortar corroded by the forces of combustion. This can cause spaces for gases like carbon monoxide to escape from the chimney and into the home. A chimney liner prevents this from happening.
Keeps Wood Burning Stoves Functional
Wood burning stoves and other stove-based appliances rely on the chimney to be in the best working order. With no liner, or an ill-fitted chimney liner in place, the stove may not have the proper connection it needs, which can mean carbon monoxide in your home, and a wood burning stove that isn’t working the way it should be.
Are There Different Types of Chimney Liners?
Clay and metal are two popular materials used to make chimney liners. There are other options too, and they all have their pros and cons.
Cast-in-Place Chimney Liners
Using a light-weight cement material, these liners are cast inside of your chimney. This means a flush, easy and long lasting liner. With cast-in-place, you can use whatever fuel in your chimney you like, and you can even provide durability to older chimneys that may need the structural support.
Metal Chimney Liners
You’re most likely to find steel and aluminum used to repair or to upgrade aging chimneys. Stainless steel is great for wood burning, gas, or oil, though aluminum can only use gas as a fuel source safely. Metal chimney liners are safe and durable though they are more expensive than clay liners.
Clay Tile Liners
Clay tile chimney liners are the most popular option out there. That’s because they are relatively inexpensive, easy to acquire, and can do the job well. That said, in the case of a chimney fire, they cannot absorb the rapidly rising heat, which is worth knowing before you buy.
What is the best chimney liner?
A. Stainless will always be the best option when it comes to performance, durability, safety and cost.#N#A stainless steel chimney liner that is properly sized, for the stove, furnace, or fireplace will maintain or improve the venting performance (draft). If going to a Smooth Wall liner, it will additionally improve your draft by up to 20% for gas and up to 15% for oil burning appliances.#N#Our stainless chimney liners are primarily used to upgrade and repair existing chimneys. These liner systems are U.L. tested and listed, and if properly installed and maintained are extremely safe and durable. Stainless steel is suitable for wood burning, gas, or oil applications. The liner protects the house from heat transfer to combustibles while being installed in a masonry chimney. In the NBS tests, unlined chimneys allowed heat to move through the chimney so rapidly that the adjacent woodwork caught fire in only 3 1/2 hours.
Where to measure stainless steel liner?
This will depend on what you are connecting. A stainless liner going through a thimble hole, will be measured from the center of the hole to the top of the chimney. A liner going to an insert or stove in the fireplace will be measured from the top of the chimney to the top of the insert or stove or the center of the hole on the back of the stove.
How thick is insulation for a flue?
Having 1/2" thick insulation will maintain your liner to the UL1777 standard. Q.
Do you need a tee connector for a chimney?
Not all installations require a Tee Connector, but if yours does, it doesn't get any easier than this. When a Tee is needed and the masonry chimney has little or no offsets, connect the Tee Body to the bottom of the liner with the attached clamp, the Tee Cap should be attached to the bottom of Tee Body.
Can you use a round flue liner on a fireplace?
A. Probably not, most everything can be installed with a Round liner, with the exception of some liners for fireplaces. Larger is not necessarily better when it comes to your flue liner. Too large will give you a slow draft and poor performance, and too small will restrict the draft.
Is stainless steel a good liner for a chimney?
tested and listed, and if properly installed and maintained are extremely safe and durable. Stainless steel is suitable for wood burning, gas, or oil applications. The liner protects the house from heat transfer to combustibles while being installed in a masonry chimney.
Is stainless steel chimney liner corrosion resistant?
An affordable alternative to repairing or rebuilding the chimney and much easier to clean. Lifetime Warranty because the stainless steel liner is a corrosion resistant liner you can expect the liner to last a lifetime, virtually maintenance free. Q.
Why do wood burning stoves need a chimney?
A wood burning stove needs a chimney to allow the smoke and gasses to go up and exit the house in a safe and approved manner. Most wood burning stoves use what is called black chimney pipe from the stove to the inside ceiling or wall of the house. From there, special double or triple wall chimney pipe topped with a chimney cap is used.
How to prevent a chimney fire from burning down?
There are ways to prevent a chimney fire from ever burning your house down! One way to prevent a chimney fire is to be sure to have the chimney inspected and cleaned out by a competent chimney sweep before each wood burning season.
How long does a chimney pipe last?
Chimney pipe is usually double insulated, chromed steel pipe. This pipe is made to last for many years exposed to the elements in a variety of climates. It is not uncommon for this chimney pipe to last a lifetime if properly installed. Chimneys need to be cleaned out before the start of each wood burning season.
What is the thimble on a wood stove?
There are special thimbles for when stove pipes enter a wall. If the wood stove’s black stove pipe is going to connect into a masonry chimney there is usually a stainless steel flue liner that the black stove pipe connects too. This flue liner runs up through the masonry chimney.
What is black stove pipe?
Single Wall And Double Wall Black Stove Pipe. Black stove pipe is what goes from the top or back of the wood stove up to the ceiling or out the wall above the stove. It is called black stove pipe because it is black in color. This black stove pipe comes in two different styles; single wall and double wall.
How hot is a stove pipe?
A stove pipe that is hotter than 250 degrees F is too hot for creosote to condense inside the stove pipe. So one way to keep down creosote in a single wall stove pipe is to have a fire hot enough that the temperature in the stove pipe is 250 degrees F.
How to know what size black pipe is needed for a wood stove?
The most common diameters are 6 inches and 8 inches. Wood stove with black double walled chimney pipe.
What are flue liners for wood stoves?
A lot goes into installing a stove – once you have chosen your favourite style, you’ve then got to make sure you have all the parts in their right places! Flue liners for wood burners are one of the most important pieces of the puzzle. Something of the back bone of your stove, they are responsible for making sure you can burn your fuel effectively ...
Why do chimneys need lined?
Blockages are a very common cause of chimney fires. A lined chimney also helps protect you from carbon monoxide leaks. If any cracks form in your chimney that you are unaware of, dangerous fumes can leak out. A flue liner offers increased protection against this happening.
What is a flue liner?
A flue liner is just what it sounds like! Also often referred to as a chimney liner, a flue liner is a flexible tube that is connected to your stove pipe to line the inside of your chimney. It runs up the entire length of your chimney, carrying the fumes up your flue liner instead of releasing them straight into your chimney cavity.
How long is a chimney flue liner?
If your stove collar (where you attach the stove pipe) is 5” but you need a 6” flue liner, adapters are available for you to do so. When it comes to length, you need to ensure you have a flue liner long enough to reach from the top to the bottom of your chimney.
What is the best flue liner for burning wood?
There are two different grades of flue liner: 316 grade – this is cheaper but fine to use if you are burning seasoned wood only. 904 grade – more expensive but also more durable. You should use this grade if you plan on burning coal frequently.
Why are old chimneys cold?
Of course, these three reasons are all very much connected! First, let’s look at efficiency. Old unlined chimneys are generally cold, since they lack insulation. This makes it harder for the hot smoke to rise, so it will often condense before it reaches the top of flue.
Do stoves need flue liners?
Secondly, while not mandatory, flue liners are highly recommended by most stove installers, and for good reason. Along with offering improved safety, cleanliness and efficiency, one of the main benefits of fitting your stove with a flue liner is also better performance. Pretty much all log burners perform better with the help ...
10 Reasons Your Chimney Needs A Flue Liner
With proper channeling of combustion gases, the chimney structure is kept in good shape.
Do I Need A Chimney Liner For A Gas Furnace Or Wood Burning Stove?
When it comes to benefits offered by liners, you’ll need to look at it from various angles such as safety, energy efficiency, and prevention of moisture & creosote.
Do I Need A Chimney Liner?
From the benefits stated above, it’s clear that the chimney liner is an important component that improves functionality. So, yes!
