Chimney Liner Insulation

A true chimney is a configuration of usually bricks that go up from the house or business buildings. They will pull the hot gases and or smoke from boilers, stoves, furnaces or a fireplace out into the air. Romans used tubes inside the walls to draw smoke from a bakery. Real chimneys only started to pop up in northern Europe around the twelve century. Then in the late eighteenth century the industrial chimneys were found on the large buildings. The early chimneys were often made with a simple brick layering. Then the bricks were put around tile liners.

An old chimney can be a fire waiting to happen. If a fireplace does not have proper chimney liner insulation, it can be disastrous. Most of the chimneys have either terracotta or clay liners and they make up the membrane of the chimneys. Instead of the smoke and gases adhering to the fireplace wall itself, it goes up through the liner, which is much safer. Creosote coats the walls of the fireplace and can ignite at any time. Some must and should either rebuild the fireplace and put in a new liner or maybe just replace the liner.

Chimney liner insulation can be made of stainless steel because it is so flexible it can be turned in a way that will fit any fireplace. The tubes are placed inside of the existing fireplace once the old one is taken out. Stainless steel chimney liner insulation will last about twenty five years or so. Although it is cheaper to install, many still go the way of the tile liners. Some fireplaces do not have these liners so the job would be a bit easier. Many think that the terracotta liners are better but are expensive to install. But then they will last up to seventy five to one hundred years.

The chimney liner insulation step is sometimes ignored and it should not be. With the proper insulation it will allow the liner to heat correctly, permitting for a good draft or flow of air. People that install chimney liners will use either vermiculite and concrete combination and it is then poured down the flue. This fills in any spaces between the liner and flue. It is left to harden.

Another way to properly install chimney liner insulation is wrap the liner in a ceramic ‘wool blanket’. This option requires a smaller liner and it might reduce the draft quality. Installing chimney liner insulation should only be done by the professionals. Although it only takes an hour or so, if not done right it can lead to a fire. Flue tiles are good chimney liner insulation. These are used in new constructions and are for the small, short, straight chimneys.

There are many different styles and sizes of chimney liner insulations. Again this should be left to the professional but many will do it themselves. There are even kits that can be purchased to help the homeowner to install the liner properly.