Chimney liner and flue liner
You can easily install a stainless steel chimney liner as a cost-effective, but very safe way to repair a chimney. Chimneys that are damaged or have deteriorated over time are health hazards and can cause health problems.
It isn’t hard to fit one of our chimney liners. They are light and specifically designed for ease of installation. If you have a basic level of DIY skill and a few tools, then you can often fit this yourself by following our simple instructions (see 'fitting a flexible liner').
Why Do I Need One?
You need to install a flexible flue liner to prevent a carbon monoxide leak, chimney fire, or creosote buildup. You should also take into account that UK regulations for carbon monoxide in the home are getting stricter. If you are considering selling your home with an older existing chimney, it is worth getting it checked out, especially for carbon monoxide levels, before putting your home on the market.
The chimney liner not only improves the energy efficiency of your burner or stove but also means that you don’t need to spend anywhere near as much time maintaining your fireplace and keeping it safe.
Why Should I install a flexible flue liner?
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Your chimney leaks smoke and fumes.
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Condensation or tar is seeping through the chimney. This causes stains, inside or outside the building.
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The flue is too large for the type of burner or stove you are using. The smoke cools down and doesn’t go up the chimney properly.
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The chimney flue is too cold. This is a problem if your flue is on an outside wall, and not drawing up the smoke properly.
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If your chimney has a stainless steel chimney liner, the liner is fitted the wrong way up, your chimney can leak tar and condensation
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The old flue surface is eroded and rough. It causes friction and slows down the smoke, which causes problems.
The single most important thing you need to do is make sure you have the correctly sized flexible flue liner for your specific situation. The diameter of your chimney flue liner needs to match the out pipe or exhaust pipe on your burner or stove- sounds like fairly common sense, but sometimes people think that you can do some kind of makeshift job. You can’t. It’s extremely unsafe to do something like that. You need a reliable seal and size match, otherwise, you are risking lives.
The flexible flue liner for your home needs to be long enough to go up and out of the chimney. We recommend you order a little extra pipe, just in case. You don’t want to get caught short by a few inches due to a measurement error.
What is a chimney liner?
A flexible flue liner is the metal tube that you see attached to any kind of burner, or going up on the inside of a house that takes the smoke out. You use it for “re-lining” an existing masonry chimney. Most people have a chimney that has been used or possibly damaged, and in order to make sure you get the smoke up and out of your home safely, you need to add the flexible flue liner.
It can only be installed inside a chimney and has to be totally enclosed. So you can’t have your flue liner going up just anywhere in your house without the chimney. This means that you can’t just have a flue liner going up the inside of your house and going through plasterboard walls, wooden beams, etc.
Rule: A regular flue liner goes inside a chimney, only….!
Our flexible flue liners are manufactured with double-lined stainless steel (we have both 316L or 904L grades) which more than meets all the UK safety standards. You can use them with gas, oil, multi-fuel, wood burners, or any stoves where the maximum flue gas temperature does not exceed 600°C. So this means pretty much any burner on the market - just get the sizing correct and you’re good!
Your flue legally needs to be a minimum of 6" in diameter if you are burning wood. The exception is when you install a DEFRA-approved stove with a 5" flue outlet- then you’re okay to use a 5" liner.
Our highest-quality stainless steel ensures that our customers stay safe and warm for years and years to come.
For information about the legislation, please see our blog about flue regulations