Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Badly Damaged Chimney - Knock it down?

We recently had the chimney on our house inspected. It's a wreck. Water damage so bad that it cracked the flue tiles... spot pointing, crown replacement, waterproofing, stainless flue liner... $3000. That's a lot of money to fix a 40 year-old gas fireplace which shoots most of the heat it produces right out the chimney.

I'm wondering what option I might have and what I might be able to do myself. Mostly I'm wondering how tough it is to install a stainless flue liner, it's the bulk of the cost (around $2100). Would it make any sense at all to have the chimney knocked down and replace the innards with a more modern system with a blower, etc. which doesn't require a full chimney?

Thanks in advance,

John

Hello Im Josh, Im a chimney sweep in tennessee, Around here Stainless Steel liners are installed about 100$ a foot, the job is looked at as Install and connect liner, crownwash and stainless steel cap(s), now the price go's up if you have to bust out the clay liner, rather than dropping the insulated liner through the exsisting clay liners, and if scaffold and or a ultimate ridge system set up is required your price then increases, you probably won't find anyone to tear down and rebuild your chimney for less than 4k... I would say if you want to keep it the cheapest way would be to drop Stainless Steel in it..

I hope ive helped you.

The tuck-pointing is looked at in percentage, you could more than likely attack it in small amounts, do the worst area first and when you got another 200$ laying around do another area, you dont nessicairly have to do it all at once, you would just have to keep paying people to set up scaffold and take it back down. so what Im saying, is just to get seperate bids, get a bid for the liner installiation, the crown replacement, the flashing/waterproofing, and the tuck-pointing... and do just what your budget is comfortable in doing.
just be sure to put the liner first, thats the fire hazard.

You've been extremely helpful! Thanks for the info.

John

As a followup question to SupersweepTN05: you mentioned stainless steel liner. If the fireplace had been gas fired would an aluminum liner have been just as effective for half the price? What if you are relining a gas fired furnace chimney, will an aluminum liner be okay?
Thanks,

I wouldnt see any problem in it, however I havent had to deal with that sitituation in the field, not many gas burners around here, my experience is in wood burning appliances, however from a logical standpoint I wouldnt see any harm in it..

joeperi: A lot of chimney situations depend on your state codes but... in Michigan (where i'm at) aluminum is only ok for a gas insert for a fireplace; it can't be just gas logs in an open fireplace - and in almost all cases aluminum is fine for natural gas furnaces.