Chimney Relining – How Often Should You Change Your Liner?

A chimney liner is very important for your home’s safety. It protects the people in your house from carbon monoxide poisoning. It also prevents your chimney and the rest of your house from catching fire even if it’s exposed to embers and high heat.

Given its importance, it’s necessary for you to know when it’s time to get chimney relining services. So, how long does a liner last and how often does it need to be replaced? To answer these questions, you first need to learn about the different types of chimney liners.

Types of Chimney Liners

There are three types of chimney liners that are currently available in the market: clay tile liner, stainless steel liner and ceramic liner.

Clay tile liners are the most commonly used type. They are ideal for new fireplaces because they are durable and inexpensive.

However, they’re not recommended as a replacement liner. This is because it is extremely difficult and impractical to place a clay tile liner into an already built chimney. Additionally, they aren’t efficient in distributing heat during a chimney fire.

Stainless steel liners are the easiest liners to install. This is one of the reasons why they are recommended as replacement liners.

Additionally, these liners are very durable. With proper maintenance, they can even last longer than the house.

Ceramic liners like Eldfast are currently the “gold standard” when it comes to flue liners. This is because of the many advantages of using them.

First, there is the ease of installing them. Ceramic liners are installed by pumping a concrete-like material into the flue or the chimney interiors. Furthermore, ceramic liners improve the structural integrity of the chimney. They are highly durable, able to resist acid attacks and withstand thermal heat. They are also compatible with all fuel types.

With all the impressive characteristics of ceramic liners, it is not hard to understand why they are sold at a higher price point than other types of liners. Still, getting this kind of chimney lining is the best decision you can make. As many chimney specialists say, using ceramic liners is cost-effective since they are long-lasting.

When Do Chimney Liners Need to be Replaced?

Both clay and ceramic liners have an estimated life span of 50 years. Meanwhile, stainless steel liners last up to 20 years and possibly longer with proper maintenance.

Here’s the thing:

Just because the liner you have is said to last X years, it is not guaranteed that it is going to perform optimally this long.

Keep in mind:

There are various factors which can affect the longevity of your flue liner. Apart from the natural wear and tear, exposure to extreme weather conditions and other forces of nature like earthquakes can damage the chimney liner.

The absence of regular inspections and cleaning can also shorten the life span of the liner. For one, cleaning the chimney should be done at least once a year to prevent the build-up of combustion by-products.

Similarly, CCTV chimney inspections should be done annually to catch problems early on. This is to ensure that the issue is addressed before they cause extensive damage to the flue system or the entire chimney.

Suffice to say, when you adhere to recommended chimney maintenance practices, your liner can last for 20 to 50 years. With this, it can be said that getting chimney relining services is not something that is done often.

In summary, you’d only need to call a chimney relining specialist when you want to change the type of fuel you are using and when the damage on your liner is irreparable.

Looking for a reliable chimney relining services provider? Access Chimneys has been relining the chimneys of Dublin and Leinster homes for over 40 years. Call us today on +353 872805825!

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Image by Michaela Wenzler from Pixabay