Do I need a Thermocrete Ceramic Liner if I am re-lining the chimney anyway?

[Mac227]

Hello all! We bought a house with a 100 year old fireplace that hasn't been used in many years. We know both our boiler flue and chimney will most likely need to be relined as there is nothing currently and from what we can see it isn't in the best shape. We got a few quotes but there are some differences.

The most expensive one was by a CSIA Inspector. They quoted the liners but also wanted to spray "Thermocrete Ceremic Liner" in the flue in addition to the liner. Is that necessary if a new liner is going in anyway? They also mentioned spraying the "smoketite" coating in the smoke chamber. I've read some conflicting things about these additions so I figured I would ask for some advice!

The other quote I have is only mentioned the linings and didn't include any ceramic spraying.

Thanks again!

 

[begreen]

What is the size of the existing clay liner that the boiler is hooked up to? Is this the one that the ceramic coating is proposed for or is it for the fireplace chimney (or both)?

Is the fireplace flue in the same chimney as the boiler flue? What is the goal for the fireplace? Do you want to use it as a fireplace or would installing a wood burning insert into it be an option?

 

[Mac227]

There are separate flues for the chimney and boiler. According to the quote they are only spraying in the fireplace chimney flue and smoke chamber. We do want to use it as a fireplace and weren't looking for an insert at this time (or converting to gas).

I believe they are both 9" but I'm honestly not sure.

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

It sounds like they want to reline for the boiler flue, most likely with a stainless liner, The two flues are probably not the same size, the boiler often is an 8x8 tile, but an open fireplace requires larger. Is the ceramic liner only for the fireplace? Did they note any defects that they are trying to address? Were you given the option of replacing the current tile liner with a stainless steel liner?

 

[Mac227]

We do have two separate flues, both need a liner. They want to spray ceramic and do a stainless steel liner in the fireplace flue, which seems like overkill. They mentioned there are some small cracks in the fireplace itself but didn't mention anything about the flue having excessive damage.

 

[begreen]

Hope Ben can weigh in with a comment. It sounds like overkill, but @bholler is the flue expert here.

 

[Mac227]

I did get some clarification on the quote, looks like I was a bit confused. He said they want to do a stainless steel liner on the boiler flue and the thermocrete ceramic on the fireplace flue. They said they don't offer stainless steel for the fireplace, as it would reduce the venting capabilities too much and could require a fan. However, the other companies I got quotes from did offer a stainless flue lining. Would this be a legit concern? Looks like the flue for the fireplace is 9x13.

 

[bholler]

I did get some clarification on the quote, looks like I was a bit confused. He said they want to do a stainless steel liner on the boiler flue and the thermocrete ceramic on the fireplace flue. They said they don't offer stainless steel for the fireplace, as it would reduce the venting capabilities too much and could require a fan. However, the other companies I got quotes from did offer a stainless flue lining. Would this be a legit concern? Looks like the flue for the fireplace is 9x13.

If they downsize the flue yes it could cause a problem but if that's the case they need to remove the clay and put a properly sized liner in