Converting Slammer to new EPA with Reline...and chimney sweep debacle Advice Needed!

Hi everyone...first post but I have been lurking for a while and am finally ready to become a productive member of this group. I'm a do-it-yourself and have installed a quadra-fire pellet insert in the past. New home, new heating needs and a few very important questions I need some help with.

Purchased a home built in 1978 with a Buck 27000 insert in there. Looks all original. Slammer install...no liner or anything coming from the stove...just set in place. Before I purchased the home, we had a chimney sweep come in and do a full inspection on both fireplaces and a chimney sweep. All was deemed ok other than the recommendation to get stainless steel caps on both of my flues (there were non on there) I immediately get burning.

Last Saturday, I decide it is time to get on the roof so I can make my measurements for my chimney caps. I climbed on up and put a flashlight down. Low and behold two of the terra cotta liners are completely missing on one of the 4 sides about halfway down the chimney. My chimney has two flues and two fireplaces on opposite walls and sits enclosed in the walls of my home. I'm blown away. I also look down the other side which is just an open fireplace and it looks pretty deterioriated but clean enough to eat off (like it has never been used). I later would peer up from the one side to see that there's an old bird nest in there...apparently missed by the chimney sweep.

Frustrated, I go back down and pull the insert from the wall....behind the stove is quite a bit of crumbled creosote, leaves, etc. Really? Isn't part of the sweeps job to pull the insert out so that any of the sweepings can be cleaned up? The top of the insert was covered with stuff too!

So now that the flue liner is verified shot...I do understand the process for making it right except one thing...do I need to re-sweep the chimney before installing the insulated liner? I've been burning for 3 weeks and there is a glaze or blackening all the way to the top...there is no accumulations or little balls sticking anywhere...

Also...what advice do you have for me regarding this particular chimney sweep's "thumbs up" on these masonry fireplaces with a slammer install, that's been open to the elements without a chimney cap for who knows how long, without pulling the insert out to do the cleaning, and finding a birds nest in the open fireplace?

What a debacle!

Thanks for the replies...I have a call in with the company that has done my "sweep" and hope to be chatting with them tomorrow. As for joining the modern era, I'm already resigned to the purchase of a quad 5100i and will be relining the chimney with an insulated stainless liner...i'll be doing it all myself.

as for the supply of wood, I did purchase 2 cords of wood since I could only salvage 1/2 cord of seasoned wood off my new property. The wood on my property was cut and stacked sometime early spring and some of it is very nice and some of it is plainly not ready yet. I split it all by hand and have determined that its not ready yet. I also solicited my neighbors and they supplied me with about 1/2 cord ready to go. Mos of what I have locally is nice white oak. The stuff I purchased is actually seasoned and ready to go...I too my axe out when the truck came and started splitting them and they are very nice. I'll be downing some dead oaks on the property this month for burning next year too. I think I'm versed in what to look for in terms of wood...but certainly no expert. If anyone wants a recommendation on axes....the fiskars axe is supurb. I do a big 8lb maul but this fiskars is just plain awesome.

Another question....now that I'm going to do this right, i plan on pulling the outside air though the ash drop in the fireplace and then drilling a line out to the side of the house. should be about 15" run at 4". Sound good? I'll tell ya what...the pellet thing was way easier to deal with so far. I like the quads and have a nice hookup on price so I'll go again with one...