One of the selling points for flex versus rigid liner has always been manufacturers claiming flex liners are "self cleaning" of soot/creosote since thermal expansion and contraction tends to cause the residue to fall off.
I just pulled an old 13 foot rigid liner attached to 3 feet of flex at the smoke chamber. Guess where all the thick soot was? Yup - thick and heavy in the flex liner (even in the straight section) and thin to non existent in the rigid liner. I would have thought the pipe closest to the stove should have been the least sooted. So much for those claims - I have always believed rigid is better because its thicker, smoother and straighter - although rigid is almost impossible to install in many situations.
I called 3 installers to get an estimate to reline and insulate a new identical rigid/flex setup. All three recommended flex because its "safer" and "better". Hogwash. It's just easier to install.
Rant over.
I just pulled an old 13 foot rigid liner attached to 3 feet of flex at the smoke chamber. Guess where all the thick soot was? Yup - thick and heavy in the flex liner (even in the straight section) and thin to non existent in the rigid liner. I would have thought the pipe closest to the stove should have been the least sooted. So much for those claims - I have always believed rigid is better because its thicker, smoother and straighter - although rigid is almost impossible to install in many situations.
I called 3 installers to get an estimate to reline and insulate a new identical rigid/flex setup. All three recommended flex because its "safer" and "better". Hogwash. It's just easier to install.
Rant over.