Chimney Liners & Relining
The liner is what keeps heat and exhaust gases inside the chimney and out of your house. When it fails, nothing else about the chimney matters until it's fixed.
Stainless liners installed to UL 1777. Warranty paperwork is available on request.
You probably need relining if
- Clay tiles are cracked, shifted or missing
- A chimney fire has damaged the flue
- You're switching to gas or adding a stove
- The flue is far too big for the appliance
- There's no liner at all, common in pre-1950 homes
Three jobs, and all three matter
It keeps the heat in
There's wood all around your chimney: framing, joists, roof sheathing. The liner is what stands between that wood and the heat going up the flue.
It keeps the gases in
Everything the fire gives off, carbon monoxide included, is supposed to go up and out. A gap in the liner gives it somewhere else to go.
It protects the brick
Flue gases are acidic. With nothing between them and the masonry, they work on the mortar joints from the inside and the chimney comes apart from the middle out.
How liners give out
- Bits of clay tile turning up on the smoke shelf or in the firebox
- Cracks or open joints that show up on a camera scan
- Tiles that have shifted and left a gap where two sections meet
- Heat-damaged, honeycombed tile after a chimney fire
- A rusted-through metal liner on an older appliance install
- A flue much bigger than the appliance it now serves, so it never warms up and condenses instead
How a reline goes in
Camera scan and measurement
First we make sure the liner really is the problem. Then we measure the flue top to bottom and look for the offsets and obstructions that decide what can physically feed down it.
Clearing the way
Old liner material, debris and heavy creosote come out. On some older chimneys there's a mortar shoulder or a partial blockage that has to be broken out first.
The liner goes in from the top
The new stainless liner feeds down from the crown to the appliance connection, insulated if the chimney calls for it.
Connection and sealing
Tee or appliance connector at the base, top plate and storm collar at the crown, and the whole assembly sealed so water can't get in around it.
Cap and finish
A properly sized cap goes on before we leave. A bare stainless flue collects rain like a funnel.
Paperwork
Product specification, warranty paperwork and photos are available on request. Worth holding on to, because insurers and buyers ask for them.
Relining, answered
How long does a stainless liner last?
A good stainless liner, installed right, carries a long manufacturer warranty, and many are lifetime warranted for the original homeowner as long as it's used with the fuel it's rated for. Burning the wrong fuel through one will void that faster than anything else.
Can a cracked clay tile just be patched?
There are cast-in-place and sealant systems that handle certain tile failures, and they have their place. For most of what we actually run into, a stainless liner is more reliable, quicker to install and easier to warranty.
Do I need to reline if I'm converting to gas?
Usually, yes. A flue sized for an open wood fire is enormous for a gas appliance. The gases cool and condense on the way up, and that acidic condensate goes to work on the masonry. Sizing the flue correctly is part of doing the conversion properly.
How much does relining cost?
It comes down to flue height, diameter, whether it needs insulating, and how much has to come out first. We price it after the camera scan, in writing, and that number doesn't move unless the job does.
Will I lose fireplace size?
No. On an open fireplace, relining doesn't touch the firebox. With a stove or insert, the liner runs inside the existing flue, so the change is internal and you won't see it from the room.
Everything else we handle on the chimney
Most visits turn up more than one thing. We do the cleaning, the masonry, the liner work and the waterproofing ourselves, so you're never handed off to a second contractor.
Serving Chester County and the surrounding townships
We're based in Chester County and cover the boroughs, the townships and the rural stretches in between. Pick your town below, or just call and we'll tell you right away whether you're on our route.
Find out what your flue actually looks like
Camera scan, clear findings, and a written relining quote if you need one.