Chimney_Re-lining

The Ontario Building Code states in section 9.21.3.1 that
" Every masonry or concrete chimney shall have a lining of clay, concrete, firebrick, or metal."

A proper liner for each flue in a chimney is important.

	in order to provide a gas and water-tight conduit
	to completely contain the by-products of combustion
	to safely exhaust those by-products from your home.

	We specialize in re-lining chimneys which service appliances that use gas,oil and wood.
	We also specialize in difficult installations, such as really tall chimneys (see photo's above).
	Gas and oil-fired appliances, especially newer ones, are extremely efficient. This means more heat for you in your home, but much less heat going up the chimney. Less heat in the flue means a substantial amount of condensation buildup, especially in the portion of the chimney which extends above the roof. This part of the chimney is not sheltered by the house and is therefore much colder. There is now water running down the inside of your flue.
	If the flue is unlined, or has a (non watertight) clay tile liner, this water will now get into the brickwork itself. Freeze / thaw cycles throughout the winter will now cause the chimney to rapidly deteriorate.
	Any appliance, whether gas, oil or wood, will perform best with the proper size flue.

An undersized flue will have severe flow restriction and will spill flue gases and smoke into the home.

	An oversized flue will be very cold, have poor draft and this will lead to excessive condensation being present in the flue. Stainless steel is an excellent material to use to re-line a flue to the proper size for the appliance.
	Stainless steel is also an excellent material for the lining or re-lining of flues servicing wood-burning appliances.
	Stainless steel is much better able to withstand the stress of thermal cycling and thermal shock which occurs frequently when burning wood. Going from a cold system to a really hot fire rapidly, such as when burning a lot of paper, puts a lot of stress on the flue lining material.
	Clay flue tile cracks quite easily - examples of which are shown below. For most applications we use the type 316TI stainless steel liner manufactured by Chim-flex.

Go to our photo gallery of chimney problems to see more examples of what can happen without a proper flue lining.
Chimney Problems photo gallery

Oil Heating

Do you heat with oil? If so, you may have already or will soon be dealing with the requirements of newer oil-fired appliances.

	New oil furnaces are as efficient as gas furnaces.
	Higher efficiency means more heat in your home and less heat going up the chimney.
	This can lead to excessive condensation (moisture) in the chimney.
	A stainless steel liner is a must to ensure that the flue is the correct size to properly vent the furnace.
	A tee is now required at the base of all stainless steel liner installations. Since the requirement to have a tee was only mandated with the 2000 version of B-139 (the Oil Installation Code), some older liner installations may not have the tee.