Understanding Different Types of Chimney Liners
Wood burning stoves and fireplaces are some of the major causes of fires in homes. For this reason, if you are planning to install one of those in your home, you need to find ways to ensure you prevent potential fire hazards from the burning materials. One great way to do this is to invest in chimney liners. These are conduits that are installed inside your chimney to prevent heat transfer to nearby combustible products, protect your chimney walls from the corrosive combustion by-products, and direct the combustion products safely to the atmosphere. However, chimney liners come in different types of materials so learning a few things about each type will help you choose the most suitable one for your home.
Clay Tile Chimney Liners
These are some of the most common types of chimney liners you will find. Made from clay tiles, the advantage of using these chimney liners is that they can withstand very high temperatures from your fireplace. In addition, clay tiles are resistant to corrosion from the materials being burnt. They are relatively cheap so your upfront costs will be much lower.
However, while clay tile chimney liners can withstand high temperatures, they may not distribute the heat evenly as the temperature rises. This can eventually lead to unequal expansion, especially if you burn extremely hot materials. The outcome of this will be splitting or cracking of the tiles. When this happens, repairs are usually more difficult because portions of the chimney have to be broken out to access the damaged tiles.
These liners are best recommended during construction so that they are built along with your home.
Cast-In-Place Chimney Liners
These liners are an alternative to a situation where installing new clay tiles would be too expensive. They are best used where there's an already existing chimney but it's damaged so they act as a reinforcement. With these liners lightweight and castable cement-like products are poured in the passageway of your chimney along the exterior walls. They have very high insulation properties against all types of fuel. They also enhance the structural integrity of your chimney by serving as reinforcements. Since the insulation prevents heat from escaping your chimney, the resultant high temperatures fully consumes soot, creosote, and combustive gases, meaning your fireplace will burn cleaner. Unfortunately, installation is still challenging, and in case of a crack, repairs will be a difficult task too.
Metal Flue Chimney Liners
Installing metal flue liners is relatively easy. Metal liners can be flexible or rigid to fit different shapes of chimneys. These liners are preferred by many homeowners because they offer the advantages of the other types of liners and have minimum disadvantages. Corrosion is often the main concern but this can be solved by choosing the correct metal alloys such as stainless steel.