If you have an old-fashioned wood burning chimney in your house- regular cleaning, maintaining are necessary. The first thing you need to do is complete the chimney liner installation. It protects your home by reducing heat transfer to combustible materials. Besides, protecting your home from possible fire accidents, chimney liners offer excellent ventilation in your home.
You might want to know what a chimney liner is or why you should install one. Well, we will discuss all about that in the following section. Let’s start by giving you a brief concept of the chimney liner.
Chimney Liner in Brief
A flexible and long steel pipe works as a chimney liner. If you have a fireplace then chimney liner can be used in the fireplace. It runs through the clay flue tile connecting the fireplace and the outlet on the roof or outside.
Before the chimney liner installation, the liner is wrapped with reflective insulation (or, foil faced insulation). It do not let the heat transfer to the tile which can lead to fire accidents. The chimney liner is flexible, so it can bend or fit to the clay flue tile’s structure as you want them.
Why Chimney Liner is required?
Most masonry chimneys in USA are more than 50 years old, with crumbling condition. If you install chimney liners in one of such old chimney, you can bring it back to life. Chimney liner repair or installation ensures safety for your household.
On the other hand, old chimneys have cracks in clay flue tiles where ashes can pile up and reduce its ventilation capability. In such cases, gases from the burned wood can fill your house for a lack of clear ventilation system.
How to Install a Chimney Liner?
If you prefer installing a chimney liner in an old chimney in your house, follow a few steps. It will make chimney liner repair or chimney liner installation process easier.
Step 1: Assessment and Measurement
The first stage of installing a chimney liner is to measure the chimney and assess its present condition. Experts can assess the present condition, if it requires repairing. Experts use specific tools to measure and inspect the internal condition of the chimney. Based on the present condition of the chimney, liner material are selected.
Remember to measure the liner carefully and correctly. See if you have measured the diameter of the liner correctly. When you measure the length of the chimney add some extra length to the liner in case you need to make adjustment later.
Step 2: The Best Liner Material
What will be a suitable liner material for you depends on the type of fuel you use. For example, there are primarily three types of liner materials used – stainless steel, aluminium liners, and cement-based cast-in-place liners.
Stainless Steel is suitable for mostly all types of fuels such as coal, gas, oil or wood. Stainless steel liners are corrosion resistant and long lasting under any condition.
Aluminum liners might be affordable but not suitable for all types of fuels. It is most suitable for gas appliances. But remember you should not utilize aluminum liners for fireplaces with high temperature.
Finally, the cement-based liners are suitable for all types of fuels. But it is used for older chimneys, it works both ways – better insulation and rebuilding the old and crumbling chimneys.
Step 3: Prepare for installation
Before you install the lining in the chimney, the experts clean it and inspect for any structural damages. If any structural damages are found in the chimney, it should be repaired before chimney liner installation.
Step 4: Chimney liner installation
The installation process depends on the type of chimney liner you install. If you install an aluminum liner which is flexible – experts lower the liner into the chimney. Then, the top and bottom part is attached to the flue with brackets and clamps.
Step 5: Proper Inspection and Safety
After the chimney liner repair and installation, check the chimney properly. See if it ventilates properly, look for any leaks and ensure it meets the market standard.
When should you replace the Chimney Liner?
Even if you see the chimney liner working perfectly fine from the outside, it might require replacement.
But how do you know if it needs replacement? Look for specific signs.
If you look in the liner and see damaged liner, or the ventilation is not efficient with occasional smokes leaking in your room – these are signs to check the chimney liner. If required, you might want to go for chimney liner repair.
In an old chimney, you might see a corroded chimney liner which needs replacing for better ventilation.
Conclusion
Chimney liner installation is the most important thing to bring back the old chimney in your house to life. But, before you install one, inspect the chimney carefully. Look for any structural damage, measure it and choose the most suitable liner material.
If you carefully choose the chimney liner, it will last longer to serve the purpose.
