What is the usual lifespan of a stainless steel, prefabricated chimney? I have a rental house, and the chimney is at least 15 years old. Thanks.
Lifespan of Prefab Chimney?
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Shane
Minister of Fire
The chimney has never had a huge buildup of creosote, and never had a chimney fire. This chimney is 2 inches thick. It replaced a 1" thick chimney. That chimney (which had a 25 yr warrantee), was only 4-5 yrs old when it was noticed that the joints were rusting. The outer and inner layers were stainless, but the inside ends were not stainless.
jqgs214
Minister of Fire
Well,
Stainless steel does rust, after all its stain LESS not stain FREE. A little surface rust at joints is no reason to condemn a chimney. Now if its deeper than that its a whole nother story. Also what do you mean its 1" thick? That cant be the thickness of the steel, you could never lift it into position. Is it double wall with a 1" air gap in between??
Stainless steel does rust, after all its stain LESS not stain FREE. A little surface rust at joints is no reason to condemn a chimney. Now if its deeper than that its a whole nother story. Also what do you mean its 1" thick? That cant be the thickness of the steel, you could never lift it into position. Is it double wall with a 1" air gap in between??
Yes, those older chimneys had 1 inch insulation space. I think the 2 inch insulation are the only ones available now.
jtp10181
Minister of Fire
We tear out stuff thats 20-30 years old all the time and the chimneys are usually is pretty good shape still. Sometimes they are full of creosote, but nothing a good cleaning couldn't fix. Also I have read in another thread someone said the current stainless chimneys are MUCH higher quality than 20+ years ago and should last much longer. I would expect that with modern prefab chimney, if taken care of, it should last the life of the fireplace.
That's really good to know. It was my old home, now being rented to a couple with three small children, so I want to make sure I'm not overlooking things regarding safety. Thankyou.
All of our chimney liners carry a lifetime warranty, now what that means is that as long as the pipe whether flexible or rigid is installed properly and as long is it is maintained then the pipe should last a lifetime. If the pipe is not maintained you will end up with rots and possibly a chimney fire. If at any time a customer replies to us that a pipe has failed and they have maintained records of it's upkeep we as well as most manufacturers will replace the pipe free of charge without question at least that is how we do it and I am led to believe other manufacturers follow the same practice.
jtp10181
Minister of Fire
If they are using it regularly in the winter you should definitely have a sweep clean it every spring or summer. It should be less than $200 in most areas for the sweep. Might not be a bad idea to find an article about wood quality and how to burn safely, print it out, have them read it and sign it. If you are really concerned about the chimney find a sweep with a camera they can drop down and inspect the whole system. They usually will tell you if they find anything suspect.
Also it depends on the installation, if the install was a DIY or otherwise not done correctly there could be clearance issues or other dangerous things hidden in the walls. There were some scary pictures posted over the summer of a DIY chimney that was torn out, the outer layer was totally rusted out. Needless to say the family is lucky to still have a home. Not sure if there were water leaking in or something corrosive was touching the chimney. Could have also been sub-par product or not the correct product for the application.
Also it depends on the installation, if the install was a DIY or otherwise not done correctly there could be clearance issues or other dangerous things hidden in the walls. There were some scary pictures posted over the summer of a DIY chimney that was torn out, the outer layer was totally rusted out. Needless to say the family is lucky to still have a home. Not sure if there were water leaking in or something corrosive was touching the chimney. Could have also been sub-par product or not the correct product for the application.
Hi, It was a DIY (by us) but just a standard installation and the chimney is not hidden. I know what you mean though: I have seen some that are horror stories and one wonders why the house did not burn down sooner!
This chimney, and the one I have at my present house, go straight up through the living room ceiling. As we heat with wood only, in Canada, we can take the pipe off on (relatively speaking
) mild days for several cleanings during the winter. We do it from the inside, one person adding the rods as necessary, the other standing on the stove or chair holding a garbage bag to catch the mess. The first rod is put through a hole in the side of the bag!
Hey - 25 yrs - it works!
This chimney, and the one I have at my present house, go straight up through the living room ceiling. As we heat with wood only, in Canada, we can take the pipe off on (relatively speaking
) mild days for several cleanings during the winter. We do it from the inside, one person adding the rods as necessary, the other standing on the stove or chair holding a garbage bag to catch the mess. The first rod is put through a hole in the side of the bag!Hey - 25 yrs - it works!
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
Most of the current chimneys use 1" of insulation, so the OD of the chimney is 2" larger than the ID. There was a time when canada had higher standards and some companies made a 2" thick wall.
As far as the life span, there are a lot of factors at play, but inspection is the key. At one time there was a run of insulation that had a lot of chlorides (salts) in it, and many chimneys developed pin holes prematurely.
We have seen chimneys with large holes after 7-10 years, and others in perfect condition at 20+ years. Inspection of the outside and inside is key. Any degradation of the liner metal should happen relatively slowly and you should be able to catch it before it becomes dangerous. In other words, they usually don't simply fall apart, but develop small holes or weak spots. If you can put a finger through it, or even a screwdriver or penknife with light pressure, then it's time to replace it.
As far as the life span, there are a lot of factors at play, but inspection is the key. At one time there was a run of insulation that had a lot of chlorides (salts) in it, and many chimneys developed pin holes prematurely.
We have seen chimneys with large holes after 7-10 years, and others in perfect condition at 20+ years. Inspection of the outside and inside is key. Any degradation of the liner metal should happen relatively slowly and you should be able to catch it before it becomes dangerous. In other words, they usually don't simply fall apart, but develop small holes or weak spots. If you can put a finger through it, or even a screwdriver or penknife with light pressure, then it's time to replace it.
Craig, I'm wondering, how do you check for those weak spots on the inside when the chimney is seven sections tall?
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
One way is just visual after cleaning. If there is no evidence of pitting, chances are there is none. This is best done after cleaning - a poly brush is best.
Also, initial degradation tends to happen at certain places - actually sometimes on the OUTSIDE of the chimney , and outside the home. This is where the weather reacts. Another trouble spot is near the seams. However, if you have a chimney with high chloride % in the insulation, it will develop pitting in a few places, inside and out (will be evident).
Also inspect the soot when you clean it.....any pieces of ss rust should be evident. In general, ss in good condition should not rust at all...at least not in a way you can see. So if you see pitting, it is probably time to replace.
If it really needs close inspection, you can take it apart, etc.
Also, initial degradation tends to happen at certain places - actually sometimes on the OUTSIDE of the chimney , and outside the home. This is where the weather reacts. Another trouble spot is near the seams. However, if you have a chimney with high chloride % in the insulation, it will develop pitting in a few places, inside and out (will be evident).
Also inspect the soot when you clean it.....any pieces of ss rust should be evident. In general, ss in good condition should not rust at all...at least not in a way you can see. So if you see pitting, it is probably time to replace.
If it really needs close inspection, you can take it apart, etc.
Visual...Don't know if my eyes are that good! We've always used a poly brush. Is there any kind of magnifying thingy with light on a stick?
webbie
Seasoned Moderator
There are actually video cameras - but it is expensive to have a sweep do this.
If it were mine, I would inspect the outside (above the roof), the inside (remove black pipe) and anywhere else I could get to and leave it at that - unless I had reason to suspect otherwise. Those reasons are:
coal burning
pitts on outside of chimney within the first few feet under the top cap
evident corrosion on the outside seams or even on the inside where you CAN see.
If it were mine, I would inspect the outside (above the roof), the inside (remove black pipe) and anywhere else I could get to and leave it at that - unless I had reason to suspect otherwise. Those reasons are:
coal burning
pitts on outside of chimney within the first few feet under the top cap
evident corrosion on the outside seams or even on the inside where you CAN see.
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