challenging roof

[philupthegastank]

It may not look too intimidating but the angle is pretty severe, especially for someone who dislikes heights. Obviously a flex chimney liner looks better to me because I can rent a lift and just put it down there, but what are some strategies for dealing with 20+ feet of rigid liner where I would probably have to rent a lift to get up near the chimney, or fasten some rock climbing gear together to make it safe to be up there. Any thoughts? or am i missing something obvious...

 

[mark cline]

I have a JLG 40 ft boom lift , that I used to build my log home . The feeling of security in the basket about 40 ft off the ground is comforting to say the least. No way would I be on a ladder or roped in with climbing gear. Rent the lift , it will be faster and way safer.

 

[bholler]

I wouldn't use rigid i would definitely go with flex. I find rigid to be a real pain in the ass. If you don't like heights get a lift we wouldn't for that job but a roof is no where for someone that is not comfortable with heights. Actually id rather be on a roof than a lift many times i have found that swaying lifts bother me way more that a step roof. But in your case go with flex (preferably heavy wall flex insulated) and a lift.

 

[anthonyj124]

I rented a lift to do our liner, and fed the liner up from the bottom. Chimney liner depot gave me the "puller" that goes on the end of the liner. A couple good knots and maybe 10 minutes of work and the liner was up and in.

 

[GENECOP]

You could scaffold that roof pretty easy....you have that nice lower section for an added feeling of security...then you just run the valley, not a bad roof.....no comment on the different liner options...not my area of expertise....

 

[Hogwildz]

I installed double wall insulated rigid by myself, and had no major issues.
I have also installed flex for others.
Personally, the rigid is much easier to install than wrestling with a long pc of flex, and a sturdier and easier to clean liner.
Rent the lift, and get it done.
I did mine from a ladder against the old chimney masonry. Same way I clean it every year.

You could also build a platform next to the chimney to stand on and work off of.

 

[bholler]

sturdier and easier to clean liner.

it is only sturdier and easier to clean than the light wall stuff go with heavy wall and those concerns are gone. Bur really rigid whether it be pre insulated or not is a great liner i just hate to install them. If that chimney is a little crooked you can be screwed

 

[bholler]

A couple good knots and maybe 10 minutes of work and the liner was up and in.

Glad yours worked out that well but It can take allot longer especially for someone who hasn't done it before. Even for us who do 70 or 80 a year there are ones that take a few hours to get in there. I know it can be but I don't want people to think it will always be a quick easy 10 min job.

 

[Jacyte]

My vote is for rigid also. I used oval duraliner insulated rigid pipe for mine. Flex liner would have snagged and cocked halfway down unless you pull it with a nose cone. Solid you can push, lift, adjust and push again if it snags. I used a 36" section of flex at the bottom of mine to clear the damper section and with the oval liner it passed right through without needing any cutting or modification. Best thing about the rigid for me is you can carry 48" long sections up to the roof at a time rather than the entire thing. It rivets together and you lower it down as you go.

 

[philupthegastank]

so for a rigid liner you just need a rivet gun to put it together? i think im going to go with the rigid as well. messing with a 25 foot flex liner sounds like it would be a hassle.

 

[bholler]

so for a rigid liner you just need a rivet gun to put it together?

And a drill and a rope to keep the whole thing from falling down into the chimney while you attach piece after piece. What size liner is it going into? And is the chimney straight?

 

[jeffesonm]

As a DIY'er I've now installed both, a 6" double lined rigid for my wood stove and 5" single wall flex for my oil boiler.

If it's a straight shot, I would go rigid. I found it easier to manipulate the short sections of rigid than wrestle a 25' stainless steel liner "flex" liner. It's called flex, but I can assure you it does not flex easily. With the rigid you lower one piece down, use a pop rivet gun to attach the next piece, lower that down, and repeat. It gets heavy towards the end but you can put the metal clamp/bracket on there to hold the weight while you attach the next section.

 

[bholler]

AS a pro i will probably never install another rigid liner i find them to be a real pain in the ass and i honestly don't know of any other pros that use them much at all anymore. The last one we did the customer insisted they needed to have rigid. The chimney looked pretty straight well we got it 3/4 of the way down and it was not straight. WE gave them the option of flex or cut a hole in the outside of the chimney to remove the offset edges of the brick. WE ended up yanking it out and coming back with flex. So make sure your chimney is truly straight enough. As long as the install is done well the rigid will last a long time though. If you do go with rigid absolutely go with the pre insulated stuff though insulating each piece and the taping the insulation together as you assemble them is not fun

 

[BrotherBart]

Just me, but I would go with flex and pull it up with the little hand chimney liner winch from the top with somebody feeding the liner from the bottom.

And yes I have done it.

 

[bholler]

Just me, but I would go with flex and pull it up with the little hand chimney liner winch from the top with somebody feeding the liner from the bottom.
And yes I have done it.

We do that in allot of the fireplace installs we do it is usually much easier. But i usually find dropping a flex liner fairly easy as well

 

[Ashful]

I look at roofs like that anymore, and realize I'd rather pay someone to go up there, than do it myself. Mostly because I enjoy being not paralyzed.

I have had three liners installed in different chimneys on this house, by the same sweep. I could have done two of them easily enough, by myself, but resolved to stop doing roof and chimney work when I had kids. I felt justified in this new resolution of mine, when my sweep told me he lost a lot of sleep thinking about going up on my roof for the last install.

 

[Hogwildz]

You don't need a drill for DuraLiner rigid. It is pre drilled, just 4 pop-rivets per seam and done.
I used a pc of 14 gauge romex wire wrapped around each section installed to hold that last pc in place, while riveting the next one in place, loosen a little, lower, resnug, then install the next section. Worked great for a 1 man operation. I don't know why you don't like them, I love it, installed alot easier then the flex liners I installed. No spinning, straightening, turning etc. No 20-30 foot of flex dangling there trying to work it down.
That entire chimney must have been crooked then, cause the liner will go back straight given enough room.
Everyone has a preference, and both are good products. Just hate to see rigid given a bad rap, cause IMO it is slightly sturdier then the flex, and no outer insulation to get snagged and torn. That is my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Really isn't bad to do yourself either. Although either type would be be easier to install with another set of hands.

 

[bholler]

That entire chimney must have been crooked then, cause the liner will go back straight given enough room.

No just a little offset in the bottom I am not trying to give rigid a bad wrap i dont like it but in the right situation it is a good liner. But when someone is considering it they need to realize that there is no give there and there are allot of chimneys that rigid will not go into because of that. Now of larger flues where you have more room to work with it doesn't need to be dead straight but with a small opening it doesn't take much to seriously screw up your day

 

[Jacyte]

Installing my rigid liner I only needed a rivet gun and a tube of silicone to seal around the weather ring. The cap support holds the entire thing in place while you add sections. Easily a 1 man job... you might want a few extra rivets in case you drop one.. I also used a rivet stud to help align holes when it was a little shifted. You tighten the support, add a section and rivet it in place, then loosen the clamp and allow it to slide down to the next joint. To keep it from crashing down I just applied light pressure to the side of the liner to cock it in the chimney while I loosen the clamp. You cannot drill the duraliner system or you will penetrate the inner liner. Everything is predrilled for you and ready to go. Just check for bent joints on the ground before you heft them up to the roof.

 

[Schmev]

I went with a double ply 16' round, 4' oval (to fit through the damper) flex liner kit with 1/2" insulation that Osburn sells with their inserts and while it really doesn't flex all that much it did help for that last couple feet through the shelf to get it to line up with the collar. Cant imagine a rigid but i guess if you have a totally straight shot it would be ok.

 

[bholler]

I used a pc of 14 gauge romex wire wrapped around each section installed to hold that last pc in place, while riveting the next one in place, loosen a little, lower, resnug, then install the next section.

I like that idea if we ever do one again or have to pull another one i will try it.

IMO it is slightly sturdier then the flex

If you are talking about light wall flex absolutly i agree but not so much with heavy wall i dont see much of any durability differences between them