Stainless Steel Chimney Liner
You still aren't over the shock of the esitimate your chimney sweep left you for what he says is needed to use your chimney safely. He told you that you need to install a stainless steel chimney liner in your existing masonry chimney. You have no idea what a stainless steel chimney liner is. Most of all you have no idea why the sweep wants so much money to do the job.
Chimney Liner Metal Alloys
You found your way to this site, so you must be interested in doing the job yourself. So lets discuss some options you have and the types of stainless steel chimney liner that are out there.
First thing you should be aware of is that most manufacturers won't honor a warranty for a stainless steell chimney pipe installation if a non professional does the work. However, Royal Chimney Supply, the manufacturer of Flex King chimney liners will honor the warranty if you do the job yourself.
You can choose to use either a rigid stainless steel chimney liner or flexible pipe. Flexible pipe should be used if your chimney is less than perfectly straight with no joggs or offsets. If you have a nice straight chimney you most definately should use rigid chimney pipe.
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Rigid stainless steel chimney liner is the best product available to line a chimney. It's thick, and cleans the best. It's the most durable and will never rip if you clean it agressively. Light flexible chimney liners need to be cleaned with a type of plastic chimney brush because they are so thin.
There are different types of thicker more durable flexible liners available. Flex King Pro is a double wall, smooth interior liner. It cleans much better than standard Flex King liners and is more durable.
Heavy Flexible liners are very thick and durable. The only problem with them is that they are very heavy. A homeowner may have some trouble when installing a heavy flex stainless steel chimney liner.
More info about Stainless Steel Chimney Liner
If you are going to purchase a light flex stainless steel chimney liner you should buy one that is made from 316TI stainless steel. A lot of lesser quality liners are made from 316L. The TI stands for titanium. The addition of titanium gives the liner the ability to withstand less than perfect chimney conditions.
Warm up with Firewood
There are as many types of firewood on the market, as there are fireplaces. If you have been heating your home with firewood, you are likely educated in the various types of wood available. If you are considering a wood-burning stove to heat your home or cottage, the following is a summary of the most popular types of wood used.
Ash, Oak, Beech, Birch, Hickory and Hard Maple are by far the best types of wood to use. They each produce a high amount of heat, which is one of the most important considerations. Each of these species burn extremely well, and they are all relatively easy to split. Another feature of these types is that they produce very little heavy smoke and very few sparks.
Aside from the species mentioned above, Soft Maple, Black Cherry, and Yellow Pine are the next best to use. The Soft Maple and Black Cherry each produce a decent amount of heat, but they both burn well and are easy to split. They also produce a low amount of heavy smoke and sparks. Yellow Pine is also quite a decent wood to use. The only significant drawback with Pine is that it tends to smoke a lot, and it may not be ideal for burning inside your home.
Elm, Sweetgum, Basswood, Poplar, and White Pine are all decent species. If you are unable to get any of the wood mentioned above, these will work just fine. None of them produce an impressive amount of heat, but in certain cases some heat is better than none. These species also produce more smoke and sparks than the aforementioned. The Elm and Sweetgum tend not to burn very well, and they are often difficult to split. These woods should be used when you have no other choices available to you.
As is the case with any heating system, your wood-burning stove should be installed by a professional. It must be checked and maintained annually, along with your chimney. Remember to always make safety a priority, and to keep your fireplace tools and fire extinguisher close by in case of an emergency.
Stainless steel resists corrosion, maintains it's strength at high temperatures and is easily maintained. For these reasons, it is used widely in items such as automotives, home and food processing products, as well as medical and health equipment. The most common types are: 304; 316; 316Ti; 316L; 29-4C.
316TI Stainless Steel
316TI is a stainless steel alloy with a small amount of titanium added. It's make-up allows it to resist acids and the stresses of hot and cold cycles. It can be used with solid fuels (wood, coal and pellet), gas and oil. It can withstand temperatures up to 2100 degrees.
316L Stainless Steel
316L chimney liner metal is commonly found in some thicker flexible chimney liners as well as in rigid chimney liners. The titanium is left out because of the added thickness of liners made from 316L stainless steel. 316L stainless steel is acceptable for use with coal, wood, gas or oil systems.
304L Stainless Steel
304L is best for chimneys venting a wood burning appliance. This alloy is commonly found in rigid chimney liner.
The most commonly specified austenitic (chromium-nickel-stainless class), it accounts for more than half of the stainless steel produced in the world. This grade withstands ordinary corrosion in architecture, is durable in typical food processing environments and resists most chemicals.
Al 29-4C Stainless Steel
This chimney liner metal alloy is used most often when relining a masonry chimney or clay lined chimney that will vent a modern high efficiency gas or oil furnace.
It is an alloy of stainless steel that is highly resistant to corrosion. It is used for relining flues where flue gases may contain highly corrosive elements. Being that most of the heat generated by such a high efficiency appliance goes into the home, the flue gas temperatures tend to be relatively low.
Low flue gas temperature keeps moisture in the flue gases from evaporating and being eliminated up the flue. The combination of moisture in the flue gas along with other chemicals that may be inducted into the flue from the surrounding environment, such as those from chemical cleaners and laundry supplies, can contribute to a very corrosive flue gas composition.
AL29-4C is made to resist such corrosive environments over a long period of time.
For more information call :Chimney Liner Depot (8700) 943-1515
or go to http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/
