re-lining

[Inky]

I recently had a chimney fire and need some help.

I have a stone fireplace with a wood burner insert. the chimney is constructed of concrete chimney block with terra-cotta lining and old stone facing. The fire damaged the terra-cotta liner and the chimney needs to be re-lined. The wood stove is a "Fire Boss" insert with a 5-1/2" x 8" opening at the top and a slide damper over the opening. I am not sure of the flue size, but I believe it is either 12" x 12", or 12" x 8" I.D.

I had a "professional" inspect the chimney and he recommended re-lining with single wall stainless pipe (8" I.D.) wrapped with ceramic-wool insulation (1/2" thick).

The insert has very little clearance to fit into the fireplace(about 1-1/2") at the top.

He said that the liner pipe would need to connect to the stove and to do this he would fabricate a transition that would fit inside the 5-1/2" x 8" opening at the top. The transition would incorporate a new slide damper.

This all seems well and good, but...

He said he would need to bust out the old lining...Why???

He said he would need to cut out the original fireplace damper.

He said he would need to bust out the original fireplace smoke shelf.

All of this leaves me concerned and wondering...

It would obviously render the fireplace useless without the insert.

Is there a better alternative???

Many other questions, but having rambled enough, I will wait for replies to post them.

[sean_sarah]

Inky,

Just so you know up front I am not an expert on this subject but did go through the process of relining my own chimney this summer.

If he is installing an 8" ID liner, it would be very difficult to get this liner down through your existing clay liner, which is why he would remove that liner. Similarly he would not be able to bring an 8" ID liner around the smoke shelf without breaking away at least some of the brick/stone at the front of the shelf. Same thing with the existing damper.

In order to avoid some of this I installed a flexible SS liner and reluctantly chose not to insulate it (at least for the time being). The insulation serves the purpose (particulary on outdoor chimneys of keeping the gases hot all the way up the liner reducing the condensation and thereby reducing the creosote build up inside the liner. My insert (for that matter most inserts) had a 6" nipple and so I installed a 6" liner. This liner was flexible enough to fit down through the existing clay liner. It was also flexible enough to bend around the smoke shelf without having to remove brick. I did have to remove a portion of the existing damper. I cut this out with a hand grinder with a cutting wheel. If someone were to convert it back to a fireplace, they could install a chimney top damper with a chain down through the liner for controlling it.

In any case given his use of an 8" ID liner I would not be surprised if he had to do everything you said in your post, however there are other alternatives that may avoid at least some of what you describe and as a result be significantly less expensive. Before I decided to do it myself I had several estimates for relining it. The solution was the same for each but the price difference was amazing.

Scott

[discountchimney]

Hello,

The concerns you listed in your post about the steps required to do the job are all pretty standard. The damper and smoke shelf removal are all very common practice as there are practically no dampers in the real world that give you the 8”+ you will need to get the liner through that area. Busting out the old tiles is also not uncommon but possibly something that could be avoided by using a custom shaped liner that would have the same volume requirements as the 8” round but be contoured to the aspect of your existing liner. It would save the destruction of the original tiles and possible provide a more uniform space around the new liner for proper insulation. Insulation is a very important component of any solid fuel lining system and should not be left off unless there are no other options. If by chance insulating is not an option you should be sure to invest in a heavy duty “Homesaver – Roundflex” style (or equivalent) liner as the light weight higher alloy pipe most companies are using presently are not very durable if an aggressive clean is needed. Which usually only occurs if a kit is un-insulated and promotes the extreme formation of creosote as a result. See our FAQ’s at our site for more on this subject.

Good Luck!

Kiersten

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