Chimney liners

[Bluebells]

We have 3 wood burners, an insert, a godin stove and a free standing woodburner all using pre existing stone chimneys, the previous owner installed chimney liners and we used them all happily last year.   Our first chimney sweep this year tells me that all have been installed incorrectly and that the liners all end 6ft or 1 pipe short of the top and that it is now a rule that they must be flush with the top.   Also in the chimneys of the stove and freestanding burner there are no blanking plates in either, just fibreglass wading, he also says useless and illegal.   He is coming back next month to provide a devis.   1.   Anyone know if all he says is true (I dont doubt him just i have not a clue)?    2.   Anyone with a ball park figure for that work?   Thanks  

[Pierre ZFP]

Illegal? Don't know.  Sensible? certainly. I'd just like to point out that flue liners usually come in metre lengths so you are 2 short on each one

[aj_dr]

The liners are they solid or flexible???  The flexible shouldn't be joined. We had an insert installed by a local artisan who joined a metre from the top with tape (unknown to us at the time). Having had the chimney swept a couple of times the inox seperated, luckily nothing caught fire. We contacted the installer who said it could only be replaced at our cost. We then got in touch with our insurance company and had an Expert come and inspect it, together with the installer and a representative from his insurance company. To cut a very long story short, he has got to replace it. Unfortunately for us it's not just a case of replacing the inox. We had a new chimney breast fitted with vent pipes after he had initially done the work and this all has to be demolished to fit a new inox because of the security zone at the top.

If you have a chimney breast that the tube passes through this should be fitted with a special fireproof liner.

Price.....it depends if the liners are solid or flexible and obviously the length. If any are like ours with a chimney breast, the fireproof  liner is expensive. The installer I have referred to is trying to claim 2800 Euros from his insurance company, we have actually been given a price by somebody else of 1700 Euros.

aj

[Bluebells]

Thanks for that, as far as I can tell they are straight, I guess I will just have to wait for devis and then decide, now wheres my long range gun for the installer (he did it himself) and one for me for not checking , ah well another lesson learnt!!!!!!

[Andy57]

If you have an existing chimney all you would need is a flexible liner, if that is what you have you can get joiners, so all you will need will be a joiner and an extra bit of flexi liner.

The liner should be fixed at the top with a fixing plate and clamp and should have a rain cowl on it. The empty space in the chimney need some kind of filling, rock wool or vermiculite (sp?) as it insulates the liner and makes the woodburner work more effciently (a warm flue allows the smoke to rise up the chimney rapidly where a cold flue cools the gases etc and it tends to sit in the flue and causes the fire to smoke and not burn correctly)

Not sure on the regs in France but if you need some expert advice try these guys http://www.flueandchimney.co.uk/ they know there stuff and are etremely helpful particularly if they think they can get a sale.

 

 

[aj_dr]

Andy 57

Sorry, but disagree about joining flexible liner.......The Expert from our insurance Company in France and the artisan's insurance Company said it had to be in one piece. Out of interest how would you join it??

aj

[Gluestick]

[quote user="Andy57"]

 The empty space in the chimney need some kind of filling, rock wool or vermiculite (sp?) as it insulates the liner and makes the woodburner work more effciently (a warm flue allows the smoke to rise up the chimney rapidly where a cold flue cools the gases etc and it tends to sit in the flue and causes the fire to smoke and not burn correctly)

[/quote]

That would be some weight of vermiculite in my chimney, Andy! It's circa 3 metres wide at the bottom!

It would need two RSJs and armour plate instead of the galvanised sheet that's currently fitted!

 

[Andy57]

[quote user="aj_dr"]Andy 57


Sorry, but disagree about joining flexible liner.......The Expert from our insurance Company in France and the artisan's insurance Company said it had to be in one piece. Out of interest how would you join it??

aj
[/quote]

 

You can get purpose made joiners for for flexi liners, they are not ideal but better than having to buy a new liner, like I said I don't know the regs in France.

Part of my work here in the UK is selling woodburning stoves, so I deal with them on a daily basis. Flues are a bit of an art and I don't get to involved in that side of things and let the guys that fit them advise me on whats required.

[Andy57]

[quote user="Gluestick"][quote user="Andy57"]

 The empty space in the chimney need some kind of filling, rock wool or vermiculite (sp?) as it insulates the liner and makes the woodburner work more effciently (a warm flue allows the smoke to rise up the chimney rapidly where a cold flue cools the gases etc and it tends to sit in the flue and causes the fire to smoke and not burn correctly)

[/quote]

That would be some weight of vermiculite in my chimney, Andy! It's circa 3 metres wide at the bottom!

It would need two RSJs and armour plate instead of the galvanised sheet that's currently fitted!

 

[/quote]

 

That's probably why it's stuffed with rockwool then .lol