50 year old brick furnace chimney and liner
I just had a chimney sweeper work from the bottom only of our furnace chimney for a yearly cleaning, and he says I need a stainless steel liner insert for 1300.00 dollars. I know i have the old clay tiling inside. He did not go on the roof and did not use any camera. He just used a whip-type instrument to clean out the chimney from the basement. Also he said that there was a violation as 20 years ago we had the gasline venting out with the furnace chimney. He said chimney cleaners dont go on roofs no more? Is this true? Any advice as to where I can find a reliable, Honest and decent Company in the 11010 Area usa to handle this job. i want to fix the violations and make this heating furnace chimney safe for my family living in the house. Worried homeowner- Thanks Gisella
Responses
Gisella, there are 2 sweeps I am aware of in the area who are Certified. You might try one of them for a second opinion. You can find them thru a website that lists Certified Chimney Professionals in your area. Go to the site and put in your zipcode and you will be able to see them. The website is: www.CertifiedChimneyProfessionals.com
Gisella, before you consider a possible reline of the chimney, how old is your furnace that is venting into the chimney? If it is fairly old you may want to consider putting your money into a high efficiency furnace that vents out the side of the house using pvc instead of installing a liner.
We go on the roof every day, if there’s a question on whether it needs relining then for sure we get up there. It could be that the tiles or the problem can be seen from the bottom and truly needs to be repaired with a liner but we still get on the roof to see how the jobs going to go.
If your gut doesnt feel right about them….move on to the next company.
As far as the gas venting, I’m not too sure what he means, like a gas hot water heater and an oil furnace?
Violation….yes. but it goes on everyday, it’s hard to avoid on our end when a plumber or hvac guy installed it. All we can do is vent it as best as possable.
316ti stainless any othe type of “gas line venting” have checked out.
A good sweep would have done a roof-top investigation as well as the base sweep. We always do a roof exam if we suspect a liner is needed
If they found anything untoward they should have taken pictures and shown them to you.
A liner may be needed if there is internal corrosion and deterioration of the flue liner.
Just ensure that they use the proper size liner for your furnace and it IS stainless steel.
Find a Certified Sweep here http://www.CSIA.ORG
Gisella,
Our customers go on roofs all the time.
We make a video inspection system that’s for inspecting chimneys.
Please give us a call or email us and we’d be happy to tell you where one of our systems are near you.
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