My primary flue had the clay liners stacked with minimal mortar between them and the concrete chimney block. I managed to lift out 4 sections with a stick and a rope before starting to break the lower ones. I was able to clear about 16 feet to a little below the thimble using a 20 lb pry bar fastened in the end of a piece of EMT conduit.
The second flue is older and built differently. The tiles have a clay veneer with a grey core, so when you look at the broken edges it looks like a sandwich with brown clay on the outside and some sort of grey cement in the middle. These tiles are not loose, and seem to be mortared/cemented into the chimney block. They are however very crooked leaving sideways steps of 1/2" or more at the seams. The tiles are older but far more durable and resistant to impact. The only option for lining it as-is will be a 5.5" or maybe a 6" squared to 5.5" with no blanket.
Will a professional with a tile breaker be able to get the liner out, or will the fact that it's mortared in make it impossible?
I don't expect to finish this second flue, but I'm trying to lay the groundwork before I add a few blocks and pour a crown. My hope is to leave a hole in the crown and cap it with sheet metal, so that when I get the stove and SS liner in the next couple years it will be a quick drop in install. Right now I have fairly easy access, but once I bring it up to standard height it may require scaffolding etc.
I'm open to any and all suggestions.
I don't have exact dimensions but it's roughly 23-25'. I have a sample of the 5.5" liner and lowered it down on a rope without any trouble, but when I wrapped it with a layer of 1/4" foam and some tape to hold it in place it wouldn't go. I also tried a paint can which someone here suggested as a gauge for 6" liner and it also stopped at the first or second joint (2-4' down).
The second flue is older and built differently. The tiles have a clay veneer with a grey core, so when you look at the broken edges it looks like a sandwich with brown clay on the outside and some sort of grey cement in the middle. These tiles are not loose, and seem to be mortared/cemented into the chimney block. They are however very crooked leaving sideways steps of 1/2" or more at the seams. The tiles are older but far more durable and resistant to impact. The only option for lining it as-is will be a 5.5" or maybe a 6" squared to 5.5" with no blanket.
Will a professional with a tile breaker be able to get the liner out, or will the fact that it's mortared in make it impossible?
I don't expect to finish this second flue, but I'm trying to lay the groundwork before I add a few blocks and pour a crown. My hope is to leave a hole in the crown and cap it with sheet metal, so that when I get the stove and SS liner in the next couple years it will be a quick drop in install. Right now I have fairly easy access, but once I bring it up to standard height it may require scaffolding etc.
I'm open to any and all suggestions.
I don't have exact dimensions but it's roughly 23-25'. I have a sample of the 5.5" liner and lowered it down on a rope without any trouble, but when I wrapped it with a layer of 1/4" foam and some tape to hold it in place it wouldn't go. I also tried a paint can which someone here suggested as a gauge for 6" liner and it also stopped at the first or second joint (2-4' down).
