new chimney liner - real need or scam?
My husband and I bought a 1939 row house in Northern Virginia in November. During the home inspection, it was revealed that we needed to have the cement crown and some of the mortar joints on our chimney replaced, in addition to having a rain cap installed. We've been getting estimates from brick masons for the job, which have all ranged around the same price. Today we had a chimney specific company come out to give us an estimate and he said that, in addition to the work we knew we needed, the flue is in horrible shape and we need to have a stainless steeler liner installed (he is the first person to mention this). Our gas furnace and hot water heater both vent into the chimney (no fireplace or other appliances do - we have a split HVAC system) and he said that when both are on and running, there's a real chance that we could get CO2 poisoning or have serious condensation issues in the house. When I pressed him on that (because it sounded like he was trying to scare us), he admitted that those were rare cases, but that it was a 74 year old chimney that needs to be addressed. He wrote in our proposal that the furnace flue is not safe to use in its current state. We know the mortar and cement crown need to be done before our roof is replaced, so those things will be taken care of soon. But how desperate is the situation with the flue? We're lucky that since we're entering warmer months, we won't be using the furnace again until October, buying us some time to figure things out. He kept saying that the flue was against code - but it's a 74 year old house, there's a lot of things against current code (like the huge step on our front porch). Thoughts? We want to be smart, but obviously don't want to spend money needlessly. He quoted us a price of $3300 to do all the brick work and the chimney liner. He quoted us a price of $2450 to just do the liner, $1200 to just do the brick work. Thanks! I don't doubt that a 74 yr old chimney has a faulty flue. I've always heard that it's a bad idea to vent gas appliances into a masonry chimney - something about the gas and humidity that breaks down the masonry. Thanks for your replay, marksr. It doesn't surprise me either that a 75 year old chimney doesn't look brand new and has problems. Is your understanding that a stainless steel liner could fix our problem (since gas appliances is what we have and the chimney is going to be masonry)? A 75 year-old masonry chimney most likely does need a new liner, especially if it serves gas-fired appliances. I suggest that you contact a few other chimney specialists for appraisals an repair bids. Maybe I missed something but is the chimney without a lining, or is the lining damaged? From what I have been told by various chimney and roofing pros if you are venting anything that puts out hot air you MUST have a liner, check out my post and responses on the same issue: best quick fix for damaged chimney? Over time the bricks in our chimney have practically disintegrated from moisture! Go to the website for the nat'l chimney sweeps association if you need referrals and get some more estimates, don't think you are being scammed, might be able to get a better price though... Megan As Furd had mentioned, get a few other specialists to provide a quote for the work. This will give you a good ball park (don't go the lowest bid...), and get your facts straight about it's condition with a few other eyes looking at the issue. If it was myself, I'd ask if they could snap a few pictures of the problem areas with my digital camera or show me in person (safely of the work area permitting). My old house I had one installed and my house was only 35 years old. I had oil not gas. The chimney cleaning company said there was some broken clay tile on the bottom when they cleaned it. They were mid priced for installing. I called 4 other places to check. The first three went up on the roof and looked in. 2 said no need, 1 need and really high price. Last guy showed up in capped pickup, no ladders visible, walked around my house (fence gate far side of house) to inspect all around chimney. Came back and said I definitely need one and quoted mid price. I'm thinking OK didn't even go on roof SCAM. He hadn't given me much time to comment and asked me to come around back of house so he could show me sensing my scam get out look. He pointed out the black soot between my bricks mid chimney and then said he was going to roof. Inside his capped pickup he pulls out his little giant ladder and video camera and asked if i wanted to join him on roof (of course I did). he drops camera on cord down flue and shows me halfway where tile is cracked and missing and the parts against my bedroom wall that were the same. Guess who got the job? He explained that the cap and little giant lets him have passenger plates so he can take parkways around me for time etc when doing estimates and inspections. Check also as some places and I know read here at DIY that they have insulated versions or they fill around the liner with insulation. Helps to retain the heat produced for better draft. Sometimes you can also get away with a much smaller opening (5 round vs. 8x8 square) based on draft needs of appliances.
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