Bob Davis is a home remodeling contractor and fireplace enthusiast from eastern Ohio. Specializing in restoring older homes, he gets a lot of questions about chimneys. He decided to start this site after noticing the lack of information about chimney liners on the internet in the hopes of helping homeowners improve the safety and efficiency of their chimneys. His hobbies are golf and bird watching.How to Tell If You Need a Flue Liner
Not sure if you need a flue liner? It’s easy to be confused with all of the chimney advice and terminology out there. Complicating matters even more is the fact that each house is different, and chimney construction can vary dramatically depending on region, age, material, and many other factors. Here are some general guidelines that can help you determine if you need a flue liner.
First, let’s clarify what exactly we are talking about. The physical structure in your house that brings the smoke from the fire to the outside is the chimney, which in most cases is built onto an exterior wall of your house. Some chimneys can go up through the middle of the house to the roof as well, but either way, the chimney is the physical structure. What is inside the chimney differs from home to home, but you may find insulation or just a big empty open space. Generally speaking, the hollow area inside the chimney through which the smoke passes is known as the flue. Some flues have a lining inside of them, and this is the flue liner or chimney liner.
Not every chimney has a flue liner, and some that do may have one that is ineffective, outdated, or even worse… dangerous. Here’s how to tell if you need to install, update, or replace your flue liner.
- Your house is old. Particularly if it was built before the 1960′s, you are going to need a flue liner. Older chimneys were built without liners, and over time, the byproducts of the smoke can corrode the inside of the chimney. This may be difficult to detect, or you may sometimes see a sandy-type material fall down into your fireplace.
- Your chimney is leaking. You may suspect that smoke is leaking, smell fumes in other rooms that the chimney passes through when you use the fireplace, or you may actually see smoke escaping from your chimney. In some cases stains may be visible around the chimney. In any case, this is bad news and calls for a chimney inspection to determine the cause of the problem. A flue liner can normally solve this problem pretty easily, but if left untreated, it can be extremely dangerous for your family and for the structure of your home.
Your chimney liner is the wrong size. If you have updated a fireplace since the home was built, your flue liner may be the wrong size. Many older flues are too large for modern fireplaces and wood-burning stoves. Even if they do have flue liners, over time the liners can develop cracks, especially clay ones, which leads to gases escaping into the house and could eventually lead to a chimney fire.- Your chimney is on an exterior wall. If your chimney is on an outside wall, it is even more important to have a working flue liner and good insulation. Exterior wall chimneys are exposed much more to the elements, such as the cold, and this makes them more susceptible to damage and to eventual updraft problems. When it’s too cold, smoke could spill into the house if your chimney liner is too big, and it can also lead to too much creosote which is another cause of chimney fires.
The bottom line is that a flue liner is a very important part of a fireplace. Unless you are using electric fireplace logs, it is a good idea to ensure you have a properly installed chimney flue liner.
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Tagged with: chimney fires, Chimney liner, clay liners, creosote, fireplace, flue, flue liner, wood-burning stove
Chimney Liner Basics
A chimney liner is an essential part of many chimneys, although many homeowners are not aware of its importance.. Fireplaces are a great way to warm the house in addition to being attractive and cozy. Many older houses have one or several chimneys and multiple fireplaces to warm the entire house and nothing beats cuddling up before a warm fire on a cold day. But are they really safe? Most people don’t know that chimneys need to be inspected every year. You could be warming more than just your feet- you could be slowly creating a huge fire hazard or toxic gases could be leaking into your home. The main way to prevent any drawbacks of fireplaces is by having a properly fitted and functioning chimney liner.
A chimney liner provides insulation and helps prevent the toxic gases emitted by burning wood from entering the home. Many old houses have unlined chimneys. It is very important to check to ensure that the chimney is lined and if so, to see what condition the flue liner is in. Chimney liners built in the past become less effective over time and with use, the gases from fires eventually erode the liner and also cracks can form.
There are several chimney liner options available depending on the type of chimney you have and your budget. Clay tiles are the most popular choice. They are very inexpensive to purchase but installation can be a little pricey, especially if your chimney is very old or has an odd shape. Still, it is money well spent for peace of mind and safety for you and your family. Square tiles were regularly used for chimney liners in the past but now round flues are recommended for maximum protection based on the patterns in which smoke typically spirals upwards. So even a lined chimney may need to be updated to the latest standards using a chimney insert in order to be efficient.
The other option is a “cast in place” chimney liner. With this method, cement is poured directly into the inside of the chimney and allowed to dry and take the form of the chimney. These tend to give a cleaner burn and resist higher temperatures in addition to providing all the benefits of clay tile liners. And like clay tile liners, their lifespan is somewhere around the fifty year mark. This is an intensive process which requires specific tools and expert installation customized to the specifics of your chimney. You can also get an open fire chimney liner if you have an open fireplace.
Using a chimney brush isn’t enough to keep your fireplace clean and safe. Yearly inspection of your chimney liner can indicate the best course of action to keep your particular chimney in top shape and avoid dangerous consequences.
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Tagged with: cast in place, chimney brush, Chimney liner, clay tiles, fireplace, flue, flue liner, inspection, old houses, toxic gases, unlined chimney