Insulating SS liner in existing chimney

[vhensler]

Hey everyone,

This week I had someone out to install a new 6" rigid stainless steel liner in my exterior flue, I believe its around 22 feet. We had talked about having the old clay liner broke out to make more room for insulation or just feeding it in the existing liner. I decided to have the old liner removed for more insulation but after the work was done I realized that the liner was just put down through the existing clay liner, insulation added at the top and bottom of the flue. I called the contractor back and I have the option to get the difference in price back or he will pull and do it again. Is it worth having him come back and doing it how we decided on in the beginning, or do you feel that it will function good enough as is? I can save a few bucks with the refund, but I want to make sure it is done right and am not concerned with the extra money. It'll be hooked to an Englander NC-30 once it's all said and done. Will I just be sacrificing some draft when the fire isn't fully hot? Just have to keep an eye on any creosote buildup?

Any thoughts would be appreciated,
Thanks

 

[fire_man]

I say get him back and get it done right. A half@$$ job leads to a half@$$ result. The liner should be insulated from top to bottom. I just had my 15 foot X 6" Rigid liner insulated with a double wrap of 1/2" FF blanket.

 

[ikessky]

You could also use a pourable insulation and not have to pull the liner. Just make sure your liner manufacturer is OK with using Thermix or the like.

 

[fire_man]

You could also use a pourable insulation and not have to pull the liner. Just make sure your liner manufacturer is OK with using Thermix or the like.

I thought about that - I just did not like the idea of having a permanent setup. Even though it's unlikely I will have to pull the liner again, it's nice to know I don't have to chip out Thermix. Whoever originally installed the flex pipe to the rigid pipe must have had a bad day - the flex was barely attached on one side of the rigid liner. Glad I pulled it - now I know everything is done right.

 

[begreen]

vhensler, did you look into going with Duravent rigid DuraLiner? It's pre-insulated and designed for this type of problem. Seems like it would save the hassle and cost of busting out the clay liner.

http://www.duravent.com/Product.aspx?hProduct=6