putting a liner down chimney, whilst I have access

[c r]

HelloAll

I will shortly be working on outside of a relatives home, scaffolding going up to top of a chimney which we may haveto partly rebuild. Complete chimney height its roughly 11-12 metres from ground level to chimney pot top.

Am considering merits of putting a liner down chimney whilst have good access, and making a suitable termination at chimney top. Will not be connected to anything at bottom for forseable future, so for now I'm not worried about doing anything in the fireplace area at present (and to correct standards etc), but would like to leave options open- defo for log burner/solid fuel, but poss an open fire or gas fire instead.

Main issues I have are:

Does this mean I'd need class 1 liner to keep options open?

& In terms of connections at chimney level, what is neccessary- a clamp and suitable exit flue at chimney top? should I put in a wider chimney pot if I can?

If I install just the liner/top termination myself, do I need to consult building control to come and sign off connection at the chimney top, or is it more the design/connection inside the house (ie. around the fireplace area) that has to be passed off and certified by a professional?

The chimney is high enough for sure to meets regs, the roof is tiled, not thatch so don't haveto consider those kind of fire risk issues etc. & just to add chimney has not been used for maybe 40-50 years.

Any guidance advice much appreciated, many thanks

 

[Flyfisher]

I did exactly this a couple of years ago and am only now getting around to installing a boiler stove. Scaffolding can be a big cost so it's wise to complete every job you can envisage up there while you have it in place.

Interesting question about BC approval of the chimney pot end of things. I don't know the official answer, but I didn't get them involved on the assumption that a Heatas stove installer would certify everything.

Because I didn't know what size stove I would be installing at the time, I chose a 7- inch liner to keep my options open on advice that a smaller stove can be fitted into a larger flue (with a suitable adapter of course) but not vice versa. The addition cost was minimal.

 

[88v8]

Put a good rain cap on the top or you will have water coming down when it rains. At the moment, the water is soaking into the parging where it does no harm, but a liner will act like a downpipe and bring the water straight into the fireplace. Don't take the scaffolding down until you're sure the water isn't coming in.

You can run most woodburners up to 9kw, perhaps more, through a 6" liner. Yes, fit a Class 1. For an open fire fit the biggest liner you can get in there, to minimise the chance of the fire smoking.

Ivor

Here's a skirt that sits in the top of the liner and onto the top of the pot, and a rainhat/bird guard to sit on top. Before I fitted it, the water poured in.

 

[michael]

I have a flexible metal flue liner installed in a chimney serving a small fireplace with a Victorian cast iron fire surround. This, including the fire surround, was installed by the previous owners, I think with the intention of removing the fire surround at some stage and installing a wood burner.

Problem:- The main source of heat in my home is gas central heating and what I’m finding is that the warm air from the centrally heated rooms finds its way up the chimney flue and at some point is forming condensation against the cold internal surface of the flue resulting in quite significant puddles of water forming on the fire place hearth.

This unused chimney currently has a terracotta ventilation cap on the chimney pot installed by myself and the cast iron fire surround has a flip down flap which isolates the fireplace from the chimney but I’ve always been of the school of thought that chimneys should be keep well ventilated so I generally keep this fireplace flap open. A Catch 22 situation if you like.

I wonder if anybody else has condensation problems with installed but unused chimney flues?

 

[88v8]

I agree re ventilating flues, but.... if the flue liner is connected to the fire surround, then the original flue space is sealed at the bottom? And presumably at the top unless there is an airbrick in the stack?
In that case, you're not ventilating the flue, you're ventilating the liner. So I'd keep the flap closed.

The point about condensation is a good one which I hadn't thought about, and also relevant to the OP.

Ivor