Lake Geneva chimney company for repairs, sweeps and gas fireplaces

Relining a flue comes up when a flue has cracked, when a new appliance needs a flue of a different size, or when a masonry chimney was built without a proper liner. The liner is the pipe or tile that actually carries the exhaust, and it has two jobs. It keeps heat and combustion products away from the wood framing around the chimney, and it gives the appliance a flue of the right size to draft well.

Too large a flue for a small appliance cools the exhaust and invites condensation or creosote, and too small a flue chokes the fire. A relining job starts with the appliance, because its listing and manual set the flue size and the materials allowed. Stainless steel liners listed to UL 1777 serve wood, gas and oil appliances, while aluminum liners are limited to certain gas appliances whose instructions allow them.

Some installations need the liner wrapped in insulation to meet the clearance or listing conditions, and our estimate states whether yours does. At the top, a plate seals the old flue around the new liner and a cap finishes it. At the bottom, the liner connects to the appliance or the smoke chamber with the fittings the listing calls for.

Before relining, the old flue is swept and checked for anything that would stop the liner going down. The estimate lists the appliance, the liner diameter and type, the insulation if any, and the top and bottom connections. A cracked clay flue is one of the reasons relining comes up, and the estimate says whether the old tile could be repaired instead.

A liner also changes how the chimney drafts, since a correctly sized, smooth, insulated flue warms faster than an oversized tile one. A liner that serves a wood appliance is swept like any other flue. Liner sizing starts from whatever burns in your Lake Geneva fireplace or stove, so have the appliance model handy when you call.

Reach us at (904) 920-5495 with the room and the fuel, and we will set a time in Lake Geneva.