Liner Help

[Berner]

I went up to Woodstock this weekend and picked out a new Progress Hybrid that I'm very excited to get cranking. Next decision is which type of liner to go with.

It is a fireplace install with a 16ft exterior masonry chimney. I need the whole system which to my knowledge consists of a T for clean out, the stove pipe connector, the stainless steel liner and the cap. I have a 7.25" by 12" terracotta flue that I'm going to run this through.

The great folks at Woodstock say they usually go with Olympia liner kits and he suggested a flexible liner kit that would run about $550-$600 for the whole kit. He also said I probably don't need to insulate it.

My questions to you guys are...

1) Which brand chimney liner is the best bang for the buck?
2) Are there specific models that I should be looking at?
3) Which type rigid vs flexible is better?
4) Should I insulate or not?

If it helps prior to the chimney and fireplace rebuild I got up on top of the chimney and even on a warm summer day there was a strong draft up through the terracotta. I don't know if it is normal or not to have a draft during the summer with no fire burning but I figure it can't be a bad thing.

Thanks in advance and I promise I have a good install thread coming soon. It has been a long journey but the finish line is in sight!

 

[Todd]

Rigid drafts better because of the smooth surface but cost more than flex. Flex KIng Pro has a smooth inner flex liner that may be the best of both worlds. I would also consider insulating since its and outside chimney. Are those measurements ID or OD? A 6" liner with insulation will have a OD over 6" and be closer to 7".

 

[stoveguy13]

I would say an insulate liner is your best choice but you will have a hard time getting it down that chimney if there are any off sets or misaligned tiles. Olympia also makes a smooth wall hybrid liner that you can get pre-insulated or with out insulation.

 

[CenterTree]

1) Which brand chimney liner is the best bang for the buck?
FlexKingPro is semi flexible with an inner smooth wall. http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/clbrd/832/category/Flex-King-PRO---Chimney-Liner.html
FireFlex Smooth Wall is similar (and is what I got for my system). There is a 10% sale which makes it appealing. Also Fireside Chimney Supply was VERY helpful and friendly on the phone with my purchase.
http://www.firesidechimneysupply.com/flexible-chimney-liner-kits.html


2) Are there specific models that I should be looking at?
See above.

3) Which type rigid vs flexible is better?
Rigid may draft a little better than flex, but would be a little bit harder to install. (section at a time)
I am betting that the smooth wall flex will draft good and be easy to clean too. (haven't installed mine yet though... still in the box...lol)

4) Should I insulate or not?
I would say YES. I think you may have some space issues though. If your stove is calling for a 6 inch flue, you may not be able to get a 1/2 inch insulation wrap around it.

You would have the liner at 6.25" OD. The insulation would make it 7.25. Plus the wire wrap and any clamps that may add to the diameter.

They do make a 1/4 inch insulation wrap. And they have the pour in type mix (concrete/vermiculite) as an option.

 

[Berner]

The old terracotta flue is 7.25" by 12" inside dimension however I just had the chimney rebuilt and it looks like the new stuff is closer to 7". The good news is that it is newly built so the flue tiles should align almost perfectly. Once they finish this week I will try the paint can trick to see if I can fit a 7" liner down.

Does anyone have any experience stuffing a liner that is a tight fit down the chimney? I've never seen the liner kits but I imagine the insulation is fairly fragile causing it to snag, rip and or tear on the terracotta?

Those Flex King Pros look pretty nice. I especially like the video on their website. Their price looks pretty competitive too. Does anyone else have success stories about this brand or other brands?

I looked for the Olympia Hybrid liner but could not find it. Is it the same sort of thing as the flex king pro where it is smooth wall inside with a flexible corrugated outside?

Thanks again for the help.

 

[Woody Stover]

Rigid drafts better because of the smooth surface but cost more than flex.

Huh? I thought rigid was cheaper. I got HomeSaver RoundFlex 304 which is heavy duty stuff, and the rigid Heat-Fab 304 was cheaper. Maybe the lightweight flex liners are cheaper?

 

[brenndatomu]

I installed a Flex King Pro. I was pleased with the quality and very happy with their knowledge and customer service, Chimney Liner Depot that is. Pricing seemed good too. I'm actually planning another purchase from them soon.

Oh, and I almost forgot, a lot of SS liners are "lifetime warranty" but read their fine print, most won't warranty if you don't have it installed, and/or cleaned/inspected by a pro every year. Chimney liner depot will warranty if you do your own install, clean/inspect, only one I could find that would...

 

[Woody Stover]

I see that Flex King now offers an HD version. Specs are hard to find, so I'm not sure if it's as beefy as the HomeSaver RoundFlex...I don't think so from the weight-per-foot that they mentioned for the Flex King. I know the RoundFlex is 4+ lbs. per foot in the 8" liner....

With an exterior chimney, you definitely want at least 1/2" insulation to keep flue temps up.

The old terracotta flue is 7.25" by 12" inside dimension however I just had the chimney rebuilt and it looks like the new stuff is closer to 7". The good news is that it is newly built so the flue tiles should align almost perfectly. Once they finish this week I will try the paint can trick to see if I can fit a 7" liner down.I've never seen the liner kits but I imagine the insulation is fairly fragile causing it to snag, rip and or tear on the terracotta?

I laid the liner out inside the house, and wrapped it in 1/2" insulation, using the 3M spray adhesive. I pulled the heavy liner up from the bottom with a nose cone with my nephew pulling from the top and me pushing from the bottom. I got the "armor mesh" which fits over the outside of the insulated liner and keeps it from snagging as you pull it up. Might be a tight fit in the 7" clay liner. I would go with the rigid liner if you've got a straight shot up the clay liner; That's what we did at my BIL's house with his basement stove. The insulation for that was applied to a metal sleeve which snapped around the 4' pipe sections as we fastened them and lowered them down from the top.

 

[Berner]

Thanks for all the help guys. I think I'm going to go with the Flex King Pro. It seems to be a good bang for the buck liner. We will see how well it fits next week when I install it.

 

[chimneylinerjames]

We will see how well it fits next week when I install it.

How did the install go?

 

[Berner]

Shipping is taking a lot longer than I had expected. Tracker says it should be here tomorrow so should be installed soon. Just have some minor things to clean up first. Hope to have my first break in fire by turkey day.

How did the install go?

 

[Ashful]

Between a little mortar slop and the possibility of mis-aligned tiles (even if new), you will not be getting a 6" round insulated liner of any sort down that flue, without struggle and/or damage. Block off the flue top and bottom, and the insulation becomes less an issue, even in an exterior stack. The air space in the terra flue will insulate it to a large degree.

Do be sure to see the recent thread on smooth-wall flex un-raveling. Several people reporting to have a similar problem, although it's what I have installed in two of my chimneys.