Flue liner why

But, you may be wondering exactly what a flue liner is and if you really need one at all. In this guide we will cover:. Read on to find out everything you need to know about stove flue liners with our expert guide!

A flue liner is just what it sounds like! Also often referred to as a chimney liner, a flue liner is a flexible tube that is connected to your stove pipe to line the inside of your chimney.

It runs up the entire length of your chimney, carrying the fumes up your flue liner instead of releasing them straight into your chimney cavity. If you are using your chimney for the first time, you should have it inspected by a professional — this is to ensure it is operating safely, with no leaks or blockages.

A chimney inspector will be able to tell you whether your chimney is lined, and if your liner is in good enough condition to use. Old unlined chimneys are generally cold, since they lack insulation. This makes it harder for the hot smoke to rise, so it will often condense before it reaches the top of flue. This can lead to water vapour forming — which can lead to damp — along with heavier smoke being produced. This leads us to cleanliness. The more excessive smoke will dirty your chimney walls in the form of creosote.

Creosote is incredibly hard to remove, so as it builds up it can create blockages. Finally, this becomes a safety issue. Blockages are a very common cause of chimney fires. A lined chimney also helps protect you from carbon monoxide leaks. If any cracks form in your chimney that you are unaware of, dangerous fumes can leak out. A flue liner offers increased protection against this happening. When the tiles become damaged, repair is extremely difficult, even requiring partial teardown of the chimney to accomplish.

While repair is possible, it is usually an option that is simply not cost-effective. The most affordable and at the same time most effective way to replace a damaged flue liner is with a stainless steel liner. The following are benefits of stainless steel chimney liners:. Professional installation of a stainless steel chimney liner is important, to ensure that it is the correct size and will operate properly.

Contact our chimney technicians today to schedule a chimney inspection, flue liner repair, or flue liner replacement. We Have Chimney Leaks! All Articles April Showers Bring…. Can Chimneys Get Repaired in the Winter? Do I Need Fireplace Doors? Does your Chimney System Need a Makeover?

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Is Chimney Cleaning Always Necessary? Is Chimney Sealant a Good Idea? Whether you need a flue liner or not will be based on overall ventilation and how your fireplace is constructed. The rest of this article will cover everything you need to know about flue liners, including why they are important, how they work, and what they are used for.

You should use a flue and flue liner in your outdoor fireplace to improve draft and keep the fire going in any weather conditions. When outdoors, the wind can affect how well your fire burns, so a flue liner helps keep it going. A flue liner is traditionally used in indoor fireplaces to improve draft and draw harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide through the chimney and out of your house.

They essentially take all the smoke and chemicals and transport them outdoors. Keeping this in mind, it may seem as if an outdoor fireplace does not need a flue liner.

After all, you are already outdoors, and the exhaust will not collect in an enclosed area. A flue liner is a layer inside your flue that improves draft and transports exhaust through the chimney to the outdoors. Because hot air rises, a flue liner draws the hot air from the fire up through the chimney and the opening of the chimney. Flue liners work in conjunction with a fireplace damper — the damper sits below the flue and opens and closes to control airflow.

The flue runs through the chimney vertically and transports exhaust up to the opening, while the liner protects the inside of the flue from chemicals in the exhaust. Draft is the ability of your fireplace to take byproducts from the fire and bring them out through the opening of the chimney. If you have draft problems, it can lead to unsafe conditions. Draft problems lead to the gases from the fire not being expelled properly.

Many things can cause problems with a draft. One potential cause is the design of the chimney, while another cause could be that the flue is blocked. We learned in our article about smokeless fire pits that the hotter a fire burns, the greater amount of material is combusted. The opposite is also true, and a reduced draft will definitely cause a fire to burn with less heat.

Chimneys and flue liners work based on the principle of the stack effect. The stack effect is the scientific term for when hot air rises. This happens because the cool air is heavier than warm air. Therefore, when hot air rises in a house, it escapes through any openings. The same is true in a chimney.