I will be soliciting quotes to have my 30' exterior brick chimney lined and insulated (or lined with insulated pipe) later on in the spring. I live in the Boston West/Northwest area. I was hoping to get a list of vendors to contact from people that have had positive experiences rather than resorting to phone directory searches. If anyone has a chimney vendor that they would like to recommend I am all ears. Thanks in advance for any replies.
Need recommendation for chimney work (lining) in Boston area
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cmonSTART
Minister of Fire
I know you're probably looking for a more exact reference, but at csia.org you can find a directory of certified sweeps in your area.
No idea for lining, but if you need masonry work done in your area I'd suggest Lenny Belliveau. I hired him to rebuild a chimney and know two others who have used him. He's usually a several week wait, but he's fairly inexpensive and does very good work. He's one of the mason's they use on This Old House.
I am not handy with many things and I was going the same route that you have noted above before winter hit. You will be very surprised with what you will get for quotes, I know I was. With 30' you will need a 4" liner and optional insulation kit, I would recommend spending the extra cash and getting the insulation kit. I did my pellet stove install, chimney liner, interior piping all by my lonesome self and for the 4 hours that it took to install, I saved over $1000. There were a couple scares here and there but everything worked out in the end. I am by all means not one of the seasoned vets that are here on the forum, more of noob, but do a little research and DIY. If you need any help (for what it's worth), let me know and I can walk you through (with what limited knowledge I have).
Thank you for the replies so far. I did check the CSIA.ORG website and now have a list of phone numbers and websites. A little more background on how I got here. I burned a Jotul 3 (non-cat) for 24 years. My chimney drafted very well and I never had much creosote accumulation due to the high flue temperatures. Then a couple years ago my chimney was struck by lightening and the top 10-15 feet completely vaporized sending shards of brick over 400' from the house. I had it inspected and rebuilt. It has an 8" clay liner with brick exterior - a straight 30' shot from the top to the bottom with a thimble "T" through the exterior house wall to my stove. Fast forward to this winter. I bought a new Jotul Castine (F400). I wanted slightly more capacity to heat my 2,400 sf house, longer burn times and more efficient burning. This stove seemed to fit all my criteria but as it turns out, has a somewhat lazy draw. I constantly get smoke wafting into the house when I open it up. Otherwise I am very pleased with the stove. I just never want to open it up. Never had this problem with the old Jotul 3. Plus the lower flue temps seem to favor the accumulation of creosote. I also have a pretty severe condensation problem with moisture dripping down the inside of the chimney and then on out the clean out (exterior) door. From what I have read here, an insulated liner will correct most if not all of these problems.
I may very well do this job myself. Particularly if I cannot find a vendor that I like at a reasonable price. Seems like most people are pushing flexible liners based on the websites I have visited. I think here that a rigid liner is in order for better drafting and easier cleaning. Plus I like the idea of insulated pipe rather than poured in insulation. The pipe cost will be higher for certain but I should save on the labor.
I may very well do this job myself. Particularly if I cannot find a vendor that I like at a reasonable price. Seems like most people are pushing flexible liners based on the websites I have visited. I think here that a rigid liner is in order for better drafting and easier cleaning. Plus I like the idea of insulated pipe rather than poured in insulation. The pipe cost will be higher for certain but I should save on the labor.
Slow1
Minister of Fire
I have someone I can recommend but I don't know as he'd travel that far north. I'm in area of 495 and the pike so it would be quite a hike (and thus I'm sure his quote would go up up up eh?) then again it all depends on where exactly you are I suppose. PM me if you want his info anyway.
boxford chimney. the carpenter that i work with uses him on all his chimney work and he seems like a knowledgable guy. he and his daughter work faily quickly
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