Lining Question:

[Panic]

We have decided on the stove we want a Jotul Oslo. Seems like a good choice for our needs. The question I have is which liner to go with. Our chimney is 25 feet and not lined with anything just good old brick and mortar. I was interested in the MagnaFlex Insulflex. Does anyone have any experience with these liners? Do you think this would be a good choice? If so could you recommend a good site to purchase this liner on. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Panic

 

[Rudyjr]

I wish I had known about it last year, I would have given it a try. PM MagnaFlex on this site he will reply with pricing on what you need.

 

[sugarloafer]

I can't comment on the Magnaflex Insuflex other than it sounds like a great idea. I had to ovalize my liner to get it through my old damper, so I went with a flex liner with an insulation blanket. Wrestling with the flex is interesting (and entertaining for the neighbors). Installing the insulation wrap was a piece of cake. If you go this route, I suggest that you get a kit that doesn't use the ceramic particles. You'll be cutting the blanket to size. You don't want to be dealing with or breathing itchy non-soluble ceramic particles. I bought my insulation kit from Woodland Direct and it came direct from Olympia Chimney Supply (the same supplier used by many pro install shops). Sounds like the Magna ovalizes, and I assume you can strip some of the outer layer and insulation off on the ends if need be (but I'd check w/Magna if that's something you think you'll need to do).

I liked the that my liner (Selkirk) has an adapter between the flex liner and the tee. Having had to ovalize and then de-ovalize the bottom section of my liner, I found the adapter was incredibly more compliant and easier to work with than the full tee when joining to the formerly round and oval liner. Also, the Selkirk Tee has a rotating collar which I found useful during the install when I need to make some minor adjustments to the alignment of the tee after I'd affixed the liner. There are cheaper liner kits out there, but I appreciated the quality and versatility of the kit I used.

If you're going to do the install yourself, I suggest you get up on the roof now to suss things out (if you haven't done so already). The true size of your tile and the dimensions of your crown may influence which product you go with or at least which size top cap you'll want to order. It's also a good opportunity to get a feel for what it will be like working on your roof. Maybe you've already mapped all that out, but first priority is your safety. A few of my friends with roofing experience hooked me up with some good tools (roof brackets and scaffolding) so I had a safe and level work place up on the roof. One piece of advice I got was "attach everything to everything."

Any way, with thoughtful planning and some help (it took me and a friend up on the roof to handle the insulated liner) this is a very doable do-it-yourself project. Good luck!