£2,000+ to line a leaky chimney flue ?? !!

[masochists-r-us]

I was determined to have at least one open fire in our house, but whilst the fireplace and chimney breast is fine, the flue in the bedroom above is leaking smoke so we have been looking into liners. We were somewhat taken aback when we were quoted £2,000 to line the flue with a ceramic material that apparently lasts a lifetime. Has anyone else been down this route that has any views advice as to how we can get the cost down ?

 

[Flyfisher]

Do you know the details of the 'ceramic material' ?

We've gone with standard double-skinned stainless steel liners, but these were both for stoves - I'm not sure if they are suitable for open fires.

There does seem to be quite a big variation in prices, so it's worth getting a few quotes.

We had one liner installed and connected to a stove for around £1000. I installed the other one while we had scaffolding in place, but it's not yet connected to anything. The liner and fitting kit was a tad under £300 I recall.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

I think that ceramic material is considered a safer option for thatched properties, but double skin metal liners are fine for normal chimneys .
Shop around a bit more!

 

[Pford75]

Does the 2000 include installation?

If so, your builder will probably have to include scaffolding costs (working at height regulations and costing 500-1000 pounds). You could then assume that the builder may be quoting for 2 people for 1 day to do the job (perhaps another 400-500 pounds). So the actual cost of the liner may be considerably less.

 

[Flyfisher]

Yes, when I said "I" installed one of our liners it was, in fact, a two-man job and I had some help.

Hiring a cherry-picker might be cheaper than scaffolding, depending on site access constraints.

 

[Moo]

When we had our liners (metal) put in, our builders hired a machine that worked on the same principle as a cherry-picker, but much, much bigger. It took two of them + the liner right up to the top of the chimneys on our three-storey house. All very exciting.

 

[Penners]

Does the 2000 include installation? If so, your builder will probably have to include scaffolding costs

Yes, I'm afraid that's a cross we all have to bear, these days. Scaffolding is expensive. It's also true that the whole business of lining a chimney is rarely inexpensive, unless you shove in a flexible liner yourself - and that would be a very short-term solution.

As FF recommended, do get several quotes for the job, but I fear that £2000 may not be unusually high.

 

[masochists-r-us]

Thanks everyone. Yes the £2k is all in for the installation, but excludes scoffolding costs. However, will take on Flyfisher's suggestion re the cherry picker which may help somewhat.
The reason we were going for ceramic versus stainless steel is lifespan. Apparently ceramic last a lifetime whereas metal liners only last 10-20 years depending on their specification.The other benefit of ceramic is that it only adds a thin coat to the inside of the chimney only reduces the aperture of the chimney by a small amount. However, if it costs +£2k we may well decide to go for stainless steel, assuming we can get a 10" one down the chimney.

 

[Jon Maine]

Does the 2000 include installation? If so, your builder will probably have to include scaffolding costs

Yes, I'm afraid that's a cross we all have to bear, these days. Scaffolding is expensive. It's also true that the whole business of lining a chimney is rarely inexpensive, unless you shove in a flexible liner yourself - and that would be a very short-term solution.

As FF recommended, do get several quotes for the job, but I fear that £2000 may not be unusually high.

I hate to say it but it sounds like a reasonable quote to me. Is it a ceramic pipe system or leca poured down around an inflatable sausage to cast a liner?

 

[Moo]

Apparently ceramic last a lifetime

I've always wanted to know - exactly how long is a lifetime?

 

[Flyfisher]

The lifetime of the ceramic liner :lol:

 

[Penners]

I've always wondered about products that come with a lifetime guarantee. Presumably this means they won't wear out until the day they wear out.

:roll: