Any hope of fitting a 6" pre-insulated liner up and around these bends?

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PelletPractitioner

PelletPractitioner

Member
Oct 4, 2018
100
Connecticut, USA
A chimney sweep / repair man told me he could knock off a few tiles and fit a 6" but not insulated. Damper plate is 5" so I'm guessing he's planning on cutting that out. Could somebody double check his opinion? Fireplace was a gas fireplace in the corner of the house, built in the 70s by an awful builder.

Background: He stuck his head up and looked at it for about 10 seconds. Didn't mention cutting out the damper plate that is 5" width. I have been having a hard time finding credible people.

Any way to get a 6" insulated liner up there for ~$3000 or less?

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PelletPractitioner said:
A chimney sweep / repair man told me he could knock off a few tiles and fit a 6" but not insulated. Damper plate is 5" so I'm guessing he's planning on cutting that out. Could somebody double check his opinion? Fireplace was a gas fireplace in the corner of the house, built in the 70s by an awful builder.

Background: He stuck his head up and looked at it for about 10 seconds. Didn't mention cutting out the damper plate that is 5" width. I have been having a hard time finding credible people.

Any way to get a 6" insulated liner up there for ~$3000 or less?

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From what I see yes I certainly could. I would take out the damper frame and a couple courses of fire brick so I could get in to make room where the liner turns. If that is the only issue there is no reason it can't be done.
 
bholler said:
I would take out the damper frame and a couple courses of fire brick do I could get in to make room where the liners turn
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Exactly what I did...it was surprisingly easy...
 
PelletPractitioner said:
Thanks for your opinions.

What is it with these people? I've asked for insulated liners from one dealer and two chimney repairmen and all three have told me I don't need it and try to steer me away. I'm going to keep calling.
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Unfortunately it is very common in many areas. And most guys aren't going to want to say otherwise because it will drive the price up and they will loose jobs. I am sure there is someone doing it right in your area but unfortunately I don't know anyone there to recommend.
 
Called the guy back. I drilled him. He said insulated isn't flexible enough to get around the bend. He said the insulated liner would be 8-8 1/2". He said his liner is a "hybrid" liner so it's nearly as good as insulated because it's thicker (uh...). Said he can't take the tiles off all the way up the chimney because the blocks would shift. Time for another opinion.
 
PelletPractitioner said:
Called the guy back. I drilled him. He said insulated isn't flexible enough to get around the bend. He said the insulated liner would be 8-8 1/2". He said his liner is a "hybrid" liner so it's nearly as good as insulated because it's thicker (uh...). Said he can't take the tiles off all the way up the chimney because the blocks would shift. Time for another opinion.
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What an idiot lol. A 6" hybrid liner is about 6.25 outside. Add 1/2" insulation around it it's up to 6.75. with a little extra added for wiggle room you are at about 7" no clue how he got to 8 8.5.

It may not make that bend which is why I would open it up and remove materials in that offset to make room then drop an oval liner without removing the rest of the tiles.

He clearly doesn't want to make an effort to do it right.
 
PelletPractitioner said:
Called a second guy in the area and said an insulated liner is not going to fit because chimneys aren't straight and they're off by 0.5" here and 0.75" there. Said a steel liner will fit but not insulated.

I'm just going to keep calling and reporting.
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And in those cases you go in and knock edges off with a chisel to make room.
 
Since I really wanted the insulation to prevent smothering and backdraft, what do you think about running uninsulated through the throat up to the long run? But install manual said it must be insulated through there. And that will be the hottest part of the pipe no doubt. Although some of it probably has 12"+ of brick around it, which one manual stated is considered good for an uninsulated liner. So I'm sure it would work in practice to keep the upper parts of the liner warm, but wouldn't be good, wouldn't be to code. This is ridiculous. Going crazy here. :confused:
 
PelletPractitioner said:
Since I really wanted the insulation to prevent smothering and backdraft, what do you think about running uninsulated through the throat up to the long run? But install manual said it must be insulated through there. And that will be the hottest part of the pipe no doubt. Although some of it probably has 12"+ of brick around it, which one manual stated is considered good for an uninsulated liner. So I'm sure it would work in practice to keep the upper parts of the liner warm, but wouldn't be good, wouldn't be to code. This is ridiculous. Going crazy here. :confused:
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If you can confirm you really have that much solid masonry yes it should be perfectly safe. Not nessecarily completely by the book but it wouldn't scare me at all. The problem is how do you know what is burried in there?
 
Th
bholler said:
Unfortunately it is very common in many areas. And most guys aren't going to want to say otherwise because it will drive the price up and they will loose jobs. I am sure there is someone doing it right in your area but unfortunately I don't know anyone there to recommend.
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There is a chimney co in my area that has been on business for decades. They insist on insulation. Lot of others in the area dont’t. Easy money up front doesn’t equal longevity.
 
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Ctwoodtick said:
Th
There is a chimney co in my area that has been on business for decades. They insist on insulation. Lot of others in the area dont’t. Easy money up front doesn’t equal longevity.
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Yeah we have been in business over 40 years and yes every single liner is insulated. We certainly are not the cheapest. But we have a reputation for quality. And being able to fix problems others can't.
 
PelletPractitioner said:
I'm going to keep calling.
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Yup, keep after it...frustrating, but worth it to get what you want, and a proper setup that works well and gives you peace of mind that it is safe when you want to burn overnight, or during the day while you are gone from home...
 
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Looks just like both of my chimneys, I just sawzalled the baffle and metal frame work out and busted the top layer of bricks with a hammer. I Insulated the liner myself and and wrapped it in mesh the liner slid in with no problems just a little dirty. If a DIY guy can do it a professional should have no problems.
 
john26 said:
Looks just like both of my chimneys, I just sawzalled the baffle and metal frame work out and busted the top layer of bricks with a hammer. I Insulated the liner myself and and wrapped it in mesh the liner slid in with no problems just a little dirty. If a DIY guy can do it a professional should have no problems.
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A 6" round insulated liner will not fit inside those clay liners.
 
Third picture, f3... there are those angled pieces in the corners. I don't know what's going on there, but they do look like they'd block a liner. Being some guy who has never done this before I can't tell what they are, if they're support, or what. They're pretty far up there too. Beyond my reach.
 
I cut my bricks with a $15 diamond blade on my 4" angle grinder...then finished snapping them off (if needed) with a chisel/hammer...worked well...I was worried about the dust mess, but most of it got sucked right up the chimney... ==c
 
Yeah the bricks are no big deal. It is clearing the stuff above that which gets hard
 
I knocked to top row of fire bricks off inside the the fire box i just broke them out at the mortar joint. I guess my chimney was little different I believe the clay tile was 8x13 I.D. had an off set through the smoke shelf. smoke shelf was about 2 foot high then the clay liner started no angle iron above the damper.
 
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