Think this liner is ok ?

[acesneights1]

I don't remember what brand it was but I got it from Chimney Liner Depot about 6 years ago. They said only use a plastic brush on it which I did but it is coming apart inside. I snapped some pics. Think this thing is ok ?
If not do I need a flex liner ? Why can't I just use Black Pipe ? My chimney is about 20 ft and most of it is inside the house. Only last 3-4 ft is exposed so I never insulated it. It always worked fine .

 

[acesneights1]

My main concern it that creosote may build up on those lips and then catch fire ? Is that possible ? This happended from cleaning it the first time I did it about 6 years ago but I would turn the brush upside down and try to bang the lip back down.. Money's kinda tight right now but safety first.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

I would be a bit concerned too...if I paid good money for this liner and it started to unravel, I'd be pi55ed! It's not the dealers fault but some liners have a limited lifetime warranty. It doesn't look abused or over heated from a chimney fire. Contact dealer and send them the pix, I'm sure they have record. They may ship a freebie new one!


And I'm not sure I'd go for smooth wall as I seen several with similar problems on this forum.

 

[acesneights1]

I don't have the paperwork on it. If I do, I have no idea where. I can't see why plain old black pipe wouldn't work. I used black pipe bnds anyway to get around the damper so it's a straight shot after that.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah that is why I pulled my smooth wall liner after one season and tossed five hundred bucks in the woods. Most times they do that just from straightening the liner to do the installation. You still have a .005 single wall liner around the outside of it so I wouldn't be afraid to burn in it. But it would be interesting to hear what Depot says about it.

 

[acesneights1]

yeah, I don't think it's leaking, just afraid of build up on those lips. I could probably take the handle from my roof rake and bend them back down. Just pisses me off. The brush is what did it but I used the proper brush.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

Ohhhh, it's like a double wall...I would burn with it in my house till I got a new one, as long as that's all there is wrong with it!

 

[acesneights1]

lol, just found the receipt for the stove itself but not the liner...

 

[acesneights1]

found receipts for all the bends, both gas stoves the brush, even the hearth kid gate but not the liner...

 

[BrotherBart]

Poly brushes are mighty darn stiff. I can see one doing that. I suspect that it was slightly pooched from straightening the liner and the brush snagged it and bent it. It will collect a little but if that gap was packed with creosote that liner would still be 1000 times safer than 24 gauge black connector pipe shoved in that chimney. The black pipe will corrode and be crumpling crap in no time flat from condensation around it.

And if you had a chimney fire with black pipe in that chimney your insurance company would shake their head and walk away.

 

[acesneights1]

Ok Thanks, Then I'll just shove something down there tomorrow and bend them back down like I have been doing for the last 5 years.

 

[Hogwildz]

Sometimes a wire brush does shine over a poly brush.

 

[BrotherBart]

For sure Hog. I used a wire brush in that double wall when I had it because it flexes a lot better and has more tines. I now use a poly one made for pre-fab chimneys because it has softer bristles. I ain't cleaning glazed sote. Just soot.

A highly respected industry member here has been using steel brushes in liners for over twenty years and has never wrecked one.

 

[brenndatomu]

Do you really have to actually have your receipt in hand for CLD to warranty? I bet they have you on record, I'd call 'em. 'Course, they will probably just say that happens and it's fine, run it. It probably will be fine to be honest. I gotta say though, I am planning on ordering a liner this week and I am waffling between the Flex King Pro (which I installed in a different chimney last year) and the Insulflex, seeing this is making me lean toward the Insulflex. I knew that the inner layer on two ply liner could pop up during coiling for shipping, but I never thought of the fact that cleaning could raise more each time! Hmmm....decisions, decisions...

 

[stoveguy13]

the smooth wall liners do that sometimes when the liners is bent the interior wall will cup and after running a brush up and down them it will start to pull the liner apart like in your pic.

 

[mellow]

So glad I didn't buy into that smooth wall marketing crap. This seems to be a common occurrence, maybe a class action suit is in order?

 

[Ashful]

I just paid a heck of a lot of money to install two smooth-wall flex liners last year. In fact, the installer first showed up with regular liner, after I requested smooth wall (per recommendations I received on this forum), and I made him go back and order the smooth wall. It caused a delay of almost a month in my install.

That said, the product is warranted for life. No way in hell I'll be pulling it out and throwing it in the woods, Bart!

 

[Woody Stover]

Why can't I just use Black Pipe ?

You can't use black stove pipe but if you have a straight shot up the chimney liner I would put in rigid stainless. Much more durable. If not, I see that Flex King now has an HD liner....

 

[Dave A.]

Gotta check out those woods around BB's place.