You have a chimney. It’s sturdy, straight, and has never caused a problem. But your insurance company wants you to have a liner.
Why It’s Important
A chimney liner is vital to the functionality and safety of your chimney system. In fact, a chimney without a proper liner is considered extremely dangerous and unusable. It may just seem like the chimney liner is a ploy to get you to spend more money, but that is not the case.
The chimney liner prevents heat transfer to your home. This means, while you burn a fire in your fireplace, you don’t have to worry that the heat in the chimney will heat other materials in your house. When the chimney liner is missing and heat is allowed to transfer to your home, building materials can warp, weaken, and even ignite.
The chimney liner lengthens the life of your masonry chimney. It not only protects the home from heat transfer, but it protects the masonry itself from corrosive byproducts that damage the masonry over time.
The chimney liner is specifically designed and sized to fit the capacity of your fireplace or appliance. If the liner is missing, installed incorrectly, or the incorrect size, you risk the chimney working insufficiently. It also raises the risk for fire, because the vapors rise more slowly, causing the chimney to get hot, allowing creosote and other debris to ignite. This hazard is made worse by the fact that materials around the chimney heat as well, because the liner isn’t present to deflect heat from the house.
Choosing a Liner
Brickliners installs three different types of flue liners:
- Clay Tiles – These are the most popular type of flue liner, as they are the cheapest and most readily available. The clay tiles can crack and break easily, and don’t manage the moisture produced by gas appliances well.
- Metal Liners – Usually made of stainless steel or aluminum, these liners are durable and safe. When clay tile liners are beyond repair, a metal liner is most often used to bring the chimney back to full use. Stainless steel liners can be used with any type of fuel source, so they’re often installed when fuel type is changed. However, aluminum liners are not best for all types of fuel, only gas appliances. All metal liners require high heat insulation to be used with the liner in order to prevent heat transfer.
- Cast-in-Place Liners – These liners are constructed of poured cement and are unharmed by the harmful effects of heat, acids, and moisture, and work with all fuel types. These poured cement liners burn at an extreme temperature, causing a cleaner burn and more efficient venting system. They can provide a heat barrier between your chimney and your home materials, and can even improve the structural integrity of an older chimney.
Our team of expert chimney sweeps at Brickliners are experienced installing all types of flue liners, and for all fuel types. If it’s not a new liner you want, we also offer HeatShield which can repair and resurface many damaged clay liners. Call today and find out which liner is right for you.
