Lining a chimney...

Is there anyone out there who has had experience of this? I am moving into an old cottage and there is a fireplace that I would like to use with a log burner. I've been advised that the chimney would need lining due to age and condition. What sort of money will I be looking at and can it be done by a builder or does it require a specialist? Any advice welcome!

I had it done a few years ago, well about 9 and it cost about £900, a builder essentially just dropped a metal tube inside the chimney.

You can't help wondering how chimneys managed to work perfectly well for millenia without lining.

That's fine, as long as it's not in yours. I hope you sent them a bill for the fumigation service?

Well mine worked for about 100 years without any lining. That was until the lime mortar lining started crumbling away allowing the smoke out through the brick joints (which are also crumbling lime mortar).

Another reason for getting it done is that I was told that it's normally recommended to line chimneys when using wood burning stoves. As they're much more efficient than an open fire less heat goes up the chimney and so apparently the smoke is at a lower temperature. An unlined chimney allows the tar in the smoke to condense in the flue which builds up over time, increasing the risk of a chimney fire. An insulated liner helps to minimise this apparently. It could all be bks of course but it sounds plausible to me, and I can actually see tar running out of the bottom of my parents chimney after they've been using a woodburner in an unlined chimney for a couple of years.

A Copex liner. They're not bad.

Here's a web-site for when you get the chimney sorted, or when deemed fit for purpose. Has some good tips on log-burners, etc. Loved the tip on not starting a fire with 'gasoline'. Reminded me of an old mate, who's first job as an apprentice in a body-shop was to light the boilers. He started a fire, but in his words 'just wouldn't take off' so he filled two rubber gloves with thinners and started to pour the thinners onto the fire. The fire leapt up to the glove and, said mate threw the gloves into the air setting light to the boiler room. He was handed a scorched sack!

my father lined his own chimney in france with a metal flue liner, he's not the best at metalwork but it was all done in a weekend. Was a couple of hundred quid for the bits.

£400 or risk a fire?


I installed a liner for our log burner some years ago after a chimmney sweep did a smoke test on it. We had smoke rising from more than one pot!

What you have to remember, logs produce a lot of ash in the chimmney. On several occasions I have had to remove the diverter plate from the top of the stove due to a build up of sh*t.

Also check what type of liner you will need. A log burner produces far, far more heat than a gas boiler so, I would consider a good one.

because the chimney and flue will build up with creosote type residue from buring logs

trust me it is a fire risk , a chimney liner reduces the risk of setting fire to the chimney , both will require regular cleaning

, I fitted a small log burning stove Esse 200 and installed a new 8m liner / insulated with vermicelulite . cost around 200 quid for the liner and bits ......
I understand for the uk the minimum size is 6"

for the money its well worth fitting a liner small price to pay for peace of mind tbh.