Lining Masonary Chimney Through a Thimble

[BrotherBart]

I am doing a little planning for next year. My outside wall masonary chimney has two clay 8 X 12 lined flues in it. One for the fireplace (which has the insert in it) and another down to the basement. The question is concerning the flue to the basement. How the heck do you line it?

The flue to the basement is your typical clay thimble through a concrete block basement wall setup with a ash cleanout door outside three feet below the point where the clay thimble enters the chimney. It is the same setup you see in every stove manuals installation instructions. For the life of me I cannot figure out how a person would put a stainless liner in one of these things. Sure you can run the liner down the chimney easy enough, but there is not any way to get in there and connect the pipe from the stove to the liner. Shoving a Tee into it sure can't be done.

How have people handled this without the use of a slege hammer?

 

[Michael6268]

I was wondering the same thing one time. Karen Duke explained it really well. I guess they make a "two piece" tee. You take the part that sticks into the thimble off, connect the other part to the end of the liner, snake the liner down, stick you hand into the thimble to line up the hole in the vertical part of the tee, and screw or push the thimble part of the tee into the end of the liner/tee. Only thing I still have a question on is now the "clean out" part of the tee is below the thimble opening and you would have no access to it. Maybe the answer is a flexible pipe off the bottom of the tee down to the clean out door, or just leaving the bottom off the bottom of the tee and then any debris will just fall down to the clean out area.

 

[BrotherBart]

Great. Thanks!


I will start the hunt for one of those two piece tees. I think I will just leave the bottom of the tee open. The chimney is thirty six feet straight up from that point and drafts like a vacuum cleaner. I think I will start out with the bottom uncapped and see how it goes.

Thanks for the response.

 

[elkimmeg]

Brother Bret: have you considered cutting in another ash cleanout? How does this sound ( masonry blade ) cut in another cleanout on the back side opposite your connector pipe location. One, this gives you access to either work a 90 or tee for the transition bend. If a tee, you just got cleanout access and a point of observation and inspection of your flue. I would face the tee towards the new cleanout door and place a cap on it. Think of the possibilities and conviences when it comes to cleanning A direct shot cleaning the horivintal connector pipe and access up to the rest of your chimney. Mery christmas

 

[BrotherBart]

Brother Bret: have you considered cutting in another ash cleanout? How does this sound ( masonry blade ) cut in another cleanout on the back side opposite your connector pipe location. One, this gives you access to either work a 90 or tee for the transition bend. If a tee, you just got cleanout access and a point of observation and inspection of your flue. I would face the tee towards the new cleanout door and place a cap on it. Think of the possibilities and conviences when it comes to cleanning A direct shot cleaning the horivintal connector pipe and access up to the rest of your chimney. Mery christmas

Would be a little better access Elk, but I am chicken to tear a hunk out a structurally sound chimney and risk watching it fall off the side of my house. I think I will just yank the 90 degree off the inside each time for cleaning the horizontal. I can buy a lot of black pipes or elbows for the price of putting the big boy back up after I screw up.

And divorces are real expensive too.

 

[webbie]

I am doing a little planning for next year. My outside wall masonary chimney has two clay 8 X 12 lined flues in it. One for the fireplace (which has the insert in it) and another down to the basement. The question is concerning the flue to the basement. How the heck do you line it?

The flue to the basement is your typical clay thimble through a concrete block basement wall setup with a ash cleanout door outside three feet below the point where the clay thimble enters the chimney. It is the same setup you see in every stove manuals installation instructions. For the life of me I cannot figure out how a person would put a stainless liner in one of these things. Sure you can run the liner down the chimney easy enough, but there is not any way to get in there and connect the pipe from the stove to the liner. Shoving a Tee into it sure can't be done.

How have people handled this without the use of a slege hammer?

ME thinks there are special TEEs that have the snout removed and have a long snout. They also have ss bands that can be pulled through the crock to attach the snout to said tee.

Check out, for instance, the stuff from Olympic Chimney Supply.

 

[Todd]

I have a simular setup (standard 8x12 tile) and I had no problem making the 90 deg bend through the crock and hooking the liner directly to the stove pipe. But my liner is a 5.5" Homesaver Pro 316 s/s flex. So that might make a difference? The 6" liner just wouldn't go, and I could see how it would have a hard time making a 90 deg bend into the crock. I was thinking of installing a tee with my 5.5 so I could use my clean out, but it looked like a real pain in the rear hooking it up to the stove pipe, and the stainless tee is not very cheap! After I sweep the liner I just disconnect the stove pipe, and all the soot is right at the bottom of the liner at the 90 deg.

 

[elkimmeg]

Good Christmas morning Bro Bart. If we were neighbors, I would have that cleanout cut in in less than one hour (no cost to you)The fact that, other such cleanouts are present and have not colapesd the chimney means, it is safe to install another one. Basically the corners carry the structure the cleanout door hole if positioned right should not weaken any existing structure.
Never had a divorce but heard they can be expensive. I guess I must have got the right partner the first time. I telling you this would make the liner job so much earier.

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks folks. I will scratch my head on this one a little more. I checked on the Olympic stuff Craig but they will only sell to commercial installers.

And Elk me and the little brown haired girl have been going strong for 35 years but the divorce risk would come from me ruining that chimney. Either that or twenty years of having to hear about it every few days.