OT: Chimney Liners

[tykurez]

Our house was built in 1849 and passed inspection without a chimney liner due to grandfathering. Love having fires but becoming increasingly concerned of having no liner. There’s a fireplace I still haven’t used because I’m just unsure.

Anyone have experice with getting a liner installed or replaced? If I understand it correctly- lining to an open fireplace (of which we have two, one of which is a giant hearth with additional beehive) is more expensive than lining to a wood stove. Having a chimney sweep come out in a couple weeks to clean but not sure how sustainable this is without a liner.

 

[UCfor3]

I've had mine replaced. Never spent more money on something you can't see or use. Absolutely needed to be done for safety reasons, but I never felt less satisfied about spending a couple thousand dollars in my life. Like burning money.

 

[tykurez]

I've had mine replaced. Never spent more money on something you can't see or use. Absolutely needed to be done for safety reasons, but I never felt less satisfied about spending a couple thousand dollars in my life. Like burning money.

Yea not exactly excited about spending money on this. On the one it’s like these fireplaces have been here for 175 years without issue and on the other hand these fireplaces have been here for 175 years.

 

[UCfor3]

Yea not exactly excited about spending money on this. On the one it’s like these fireplaces have been here for 175 years without issue and on the other hand these fireplaces have been here for 175 years.

Difference is the one I replaced was not for a fireplace. It was for my furnace. Can't risk those fumes if any cracks inside the house. Couldn't risk rolling the dice.

 

[mussels]

My understanding is it’s absolutely critical if you have a furnace chimney that was previously using coal or oil and are now switching to natural gas. (the exhaust products, temperatures, and rates of condensation are different for the different fuels, and the old oil exhaust byproducts left on the chimney don’t play well with gas exhaust and condensation.) I have had this done (stainless steel liner) and I just considered it part of the cost of switching from oil (and a buried oil tank) to gas.

If it’s always been a wood burning fireplace, and will remain a wood burning fireplace then I would think the need to reline would be largely determined by the current condition. Wouldn’t the sweep be able to advise you about the current condition and make recommendations?

 

[tykurez]

My understanding is it’s absolutely critical if you have a furnace chimney that was previously using coal or oil and are now switching to natural gas. (the exhaust products, temperatures, and rates of condensation are different for the different fuels, and the old oil exhaust byproducts left on the chimney don’t play well with gas exhaust and condensation.) I have had this done (stainless steel liner) and I just considered it part of the cost of switching from oil (and a buried oil tank) to gas.

If it’s always been a wood burning fireplace, and will remain a wood burning fireplace then I would think the need to reline would be largely determined by the current condition. Wouldn’t the sweep be able to advise you about the current condition and make recommendations?

Yea I’m going to see what the sweep says. In fact he had been to this house before we bought it and had in his notes that it’s unlined.

Its a shared chimney, so all fireplaces and the oil burner in the basement end up in the same unlined column.

 

[Adesmar123]

Yea I’m going to see what the sweep says. In fact he had been to this house before we bought it and had in his notes that it’s unlined.

Its a shared chimney, so all fireplaces and the oil burner in the basement end up in the same unlined column.

Is Chimney a 22 or 23 recruit, and is he a stretch 4?

 

[RichZ]

One problem you have to be careful of is that there are probably more crooks in the chimney business than most any other home maintenance business other than maybe driveway sealing.
My son-in-law runs a chimney cleaning/repair/rebuild company. He is the guy that the state uses to check the work when it appears that someone may have been ripped off by a chimney scammer, and he teaches chimney inspection to local officials who handle permits.
I'll ask him what might be entailed in what you're looking at.