i imagine i'm looking for info that's been posted here or there a dozen times but i'm reaching information-overload on searches and parsing related posts. apologies if this is repetitious but i'm going to post my own specific questions.
i have an exterior stone/masonry chimney roughly 18' high with a fairly large fireplace. i'm looking at cat inserts (prolly BK or Regency) and retailers/installers around here seem to only offer single-wall liners, insistent that insulation and block-off plates aren't necessary. i also have a 5' long concrete slab as my chimney cap right now with no way to get a crane anywhere near it, so i'm going to have to erect a scaffold and get up there myself to remove that before a new liner goes in. installers i've spoken to don't want to deal with that, and i don't blame them. hence the DIY....
i'm ready to pull the trigger on a pre-insulated liner from Rockford Chimney Supply with stainless inner and aluminum outer. is there anything i should know about this? is aluminum an appropriate material in this application? is Rockford a reputable supplier? is there another product i should look at?
there doesn't seem to be much creosote build up but i know it's advisable to clean the flue before installing a liner. while i can't find a brush that is an exact size match (ID of terra cotta flue is 11"x16"), would a standard wire brush generally do the job? i know there is some deterioration in the seams around the terra cotta, but . . . that's why i'm installing a liner - so i don't have to have that repaired. does this sound wrong-headed?
thanks for the help!
i have an exterior stone/masonry chimney roughly 18' high with a fairly large fireplace. i'm looking at cat inserts (prolly BK or Regency) and retailers/installers around here seem to only offer single-wall liners, insistent that insulation and block-off plates aren't necessary. i also have a 5' long concrete slab as my chimney cap right now with no way to get a crane anywhere near it, so i'm going to have to erect a scaffold and get up there myself to remove that before a new liner goes in. installers i've spoken to don't want to deal with that, and i don't blame them. hence the DIY....
i'm ready to pull the trigger on a pre-insulated liner from Rockford Chimney Supply with stainless inner and aluminum outer. is there anything i should know about this? is aluminum an appropriate material in this application? is Rockford a reputable supplier? is there another product i should look at?
there doesn't seem to be much creosote build up but i know it's advisable to clean the flue before installing a liner. while i can't find a brush that is an exact size match (ID of terra cotta flue is 11"x16"), would a standard wire brush generally do the job? i know there is some deterioration in the seams around the terra cotta, but . . . that's why i'm installing a liner - so i don't have to have that repaired. does this sound wrong-headed?
thanks for the help!