Flue liner replacement for Harlem Heights homes

Where the connection enters the chimney

To make inspection and cleaning easier, one liner maker says wall penetrations should not be placed directly behind the heating appliance. The residential code brings connectors into a chimney through the side wall, in a thimble of fireclay, rigid refractory or metal that holds the connector in place so it cannot slip out or reach past the inner face of the liner.

We plan the entry point with both in mind and show you where the connection will sit before anything is cut or drilled.

What heat damage does to a clay lining

A chimney fire can crack clay tiles, open the joints between them and leave sections loose. Those gaps expose the masonry to heat and gases the lining was meant to contain.

After a fire, the closer inspection comes first. Any relining proposal rests on what that inspection found, not on the fire alone. Some fire-damaged flues need a full new liner, while others have damage limited to a section, and the written findings explain which describes yours.

Putting a stove into a fireplace chimney

A fireplace flue is sized for an open fireplace, usually far larger than a stove outlet. A stove venting into it can run with a cool, oversized flue.

Relining with a liner sized to the stove, connected to the stove collar and carried to the top, brings the flue back to the stove's needs. The stove maker's instructions set the size, and we follow them. We also check the hearth and clearances the stove will need, and list any work there separately.

Questions worth asking before you approve relining

A sound relining proposal should answer each of these clearly. If one of them gets a vague answer, ask again, since each one affects how the liner performs or what the job includes.

• What finding makes the current lining unsuitable?
• Which listed product is proposed, and at what size?
• Is insulation required, or only recommended?
• What preparation happens before the liner goes in?
• Which old parts stay, and which come out?
• Which separate repairs, if any, are recommended?