Replacing a Chimney Liner

A chimney liner is an important part of any chimney, as it helps to contain the exhaust of a chimney - smoke, burning embers, and carbon monoxide. Brick chimneys often have liners made of terra cotta or clay. But as time passes, this liner erodes, leaving behind just a masonry shell that could be more of a fire hazard than an actual working chimney.

Chimneys with no liner or a deteriorated one can put the house at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The build up of what is called creosote, a byproduct of wood burning, can increase the risks of a destructive fire starting because of the defective chimney.

One way to remedy problems with the chimney liner is simply to rebuild the entire liner. But, as can be expected, this can be a costly and bothersome undertaking. This reconstruction would require extensive demolition of the existing brick, and then of course rebuilding the brick outer layer once the chimney liner is in place.

Another possible solution to your chimney liner problem would be to avail of a chimney relining system. Modern replacement chimney liners are often cylindrical in shape, and are meant to fit within the existing flue of the chimney. They are usually made of stainless steel alloy, although aluminum liners can be used for gas furnaces.

Now, these steel liners are not quite as durable as traditional terra cotta liners. A traditional terra cotta liner would have a lifetime of about seventy five years, compared to a steel chimney liner which will only last about twenty five years. However, steel liners are much easier to install as replacement liners when compared to terra cotta or clay liners.

This is because of the availability of flexible steel liners. A flexible chimney liner can be installed quite easily by inserting it through the fireplace or furnace, and then pulling it up through the chimney. The flexibility of the new steel liner ensures that neither the chimney itself nor the liner would be damaged in this process.

So we can see that although a stainless steel chimney liner may not be as high quality as a terra cotta one, it is much easier to install and can in fact be the wiser choice.