Chimney liner

Hi. Does anyone have any recent experience with replacing a chimney liner? I have two quotes so far one for $3860 and another for $4500. I do have a very tall chimney and want the job done well but yikes!

We got an estimate for $6000 to line our chimney and rebuild the firebox. Our chimney isn't tall compared to others in the area, but it has an unusual shape and requires a custom built turn. Clearly we need to shop around.

Mine cost $2,500 last year. That included replacement of chimney cap.

I'm not an expert, and you should certainly do some research, but I really think these stainless-tube chimney liner inserts are largely a scam. I'll bet they are selling you on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. I might limit my investment to a few quality CO detectors and a new cap on top of the chimney to be sure that rain doesn't get down inside. But again, do your own research.

All I can add is "be very careful". We made a huge mistake when we first moved in, falling for a scam that runs around here from time to time. Guys are in the area, have excess material, had done some work for the prior homeowner, etc. Sounded legit, so we signed up. In our case they ran the liner only about 2/3 of the way down the chimney, which is useless. Was less than 1500.

Next contractor we hired to fix some mortar issues at the cap picked up on this. Reputable/recommended company. They "fixed it". Cost about 2500 (7 or 8 years ago)

Finally, when Wooley came in to replace the boiler, they concluded that even the newer installation was improper (not correctly joined to the exhaust from the boiler and water heater and also undersized. They "fixed it". Cost another 2500 or so. So, that's about 65000 in total. Probably "should've" been around 3000.

Make sure the solution is very clear, including liner running the full length of the flew and properly terminated at the boiler/furnace/HW heater. Should be discussed and documented that way.

If you want to deal with an honest chimney contractor, I can recommend http://villagesweepnj.com/

When we bought our house, as part of the paperwork the seller gave us an invoice for a chimney liner they had installed. When we had the chimneys inspected sometime later, it was determined there was no chimney liner. The seller had been scammed.

In Maplewood, a permit is required to install a chimney liner and an inspection of the finished work by the town code official is required to insure the installation is done properly.

good point. People forget that permits protect them. Too many save a few bucks and skip them.

FilmCarp said:

good point. People forget that permits protect them. Too many save a few bucks and skip them.

I can't agree with you. In my experience permits are mostly about accurate assessments and fees.

Do you think an inspector would have missed a missing chimney liner? I have an open permit now, and every inspection has been thorough enough. Brief, not hard assed, but they look at everything.