Chimney lining needed?

BelleNI

Hi,
Just bought a Victorian house with an open fire. The fire was used by the previous owners but the chimney is not lined. I have had conflicting advice from companies saying it needs to be lined for safety and other saying sweeping and a safety check will be enough. I don't know who to believe. There is no wood burner or other stove just the grate.


Anyone got any experience of old houses and open fires and whether they need lining?
Thanks

Sedge123

We've just bought our new house and we have a log burner. Booked a chimney sweep for the first first day and he swept the chimney and nose tied it. He said we don't have a liner but it's our choice if we want one or not. I think the most important thing is to have it swept and then ask the expert. We do have to put a cage in the top of the chimney to stop birds from dropping things down or nesting.

Brightchimneys

Hi BelleNI,

I know this thread is a couple of weeks old, but I've just spotted it and as a chimney sweep myself I thought I'd pass on my thoughts:


Unfortunately (and I know this isn't what you want to hear) it's impossible to say if your flue is suitable for use. Older properties are prone to flue failure for a number of reasons.

Older properties are typically lined with a render over the brickwork (this is called pargeting). Over time, and depending what is burnt, the condition of the property, and various other factors, this pargeting can degrade and fall off (think of I like blown render on a house). Unfortunately when this happens the chimney is no longer performing as it was designed and as such it has the potential to cause real problems.

Should the chimney become blocked by a birds nest or even a brick fall within the flue itself (not uncommon in older properties) you naturally leave yourself open to the threat of incomplete combustion and carbon monoxide poisoning. The gasses have nowhere to escape but into the room where the appliance is, or through gaps and holes within the flue structure should the pargeting not be in good order.
It is considered particularly hazardous should the flue continue into bedrooms. Many people only have a CO alarms in the room where the appliance is. It is wise to have them in every room through which the flue travels and put fires out before you go to bed.

While this all sounds like a scaremongering to worry you into getting in lined you will be relieved to know that there are plenty of fully functioning and perfectly safe unlined chimneys working up and down the country. The advice is merely to help you understand the risk.

In terms of mitigating the risk, a sweep will certainly help and a good chimney sweep will be able to spot problems as he/she will hopefully be experienced enough to know what to look out for. However, shoving a brush up the chimney is not, and could never be, a conclusive test.

One way a good sweep would test for soundness is to perform a smoke test. This test involves the sweep capping off a chimney pot, filling the flue with smoke, and then looking to see if any smoke is escaping through into adjoining rooms or into the roof space (and the next door property should your flue be on a party wall). He/she would then issue a certificate of soundness should it pass, or issue a warning notice should it not.

Even if you do pass a soundness test, the sweep should advise you that the result is merely the outcome on the day of the test, and that (very much like an old car) the test may not achieve a pass in the near or distant future as things can (and in time will) fail.

A flue liner will ofcourse mitigate the chances of failure but cannot eliminate problems indefinitely. They (much as an unlined flue) require looking after. So have it swept on a regular basis, and keep a close eye on what you burn. Proper fuel as per the manufacturer’s specification (or your qualified sweeps recommendation) and regular sweeping is the key to safe use.

While I’ve rambled here something chronic, the point I’m trying to make is that a guess from any well-meaning forum user on a moneysaving website (including me) will not give you the concrete evidence you need that the flue in your house is safe for use.

If you have a look-see at the various Chimney sweep bodies (Guild of Master Sweeps, NACS etc.) you should find a qualified sweep in your area who should be able (Once he/she has investigated properly) to advise you more soundly. A sweep who has CCTV gear will also be able to get an even better understanding of the condition of the flue.

I hope this helps.

Best Wishes,

Will (a chimney sweep)

Bright Chimneys Loughborough

Smiley_Dan

Block it up, terrible loss of energy. If you must have a fire, fit a room sealed log burner, line the chimney, insulate the flue.

doningtonphil

I like Will 's reply- very honest and balanced.

If you use the open fire you will be using the chimney for what it was intended. However apparently only 20% of an open fire's heat comes out into the room. A stove has only 20% of it's heat going up the chimney

In my experience, having an insulated flue lining gives peace of mind. A stove loses less heat up the chimney than an open fire which means the gases don't stay as hot as they would with an pen fire so start to cool before leaving the chimney, creating tar on the chimney lining. I have friends who soon experienced brown stains seeping through the mortar and out of the walls of the chimney breast in upstairs rooms.

I would recommend a lined flue. As the expert said, even the best expert can only give a view of how things look on the day, with no real idea of how long it will stay sound

Mojisola

BelleNI wrote: »

Hi,
Just bought a Victorian house with an open fire. The fire was used by the previous owners but the chimney is not lined. I have had conflicting advice from companies saying it needs to be lined for safety and other saying sweeping and a safety check will be enough. I don't know who to believe. There is no wood burner or other stove just the grate.

Whatever you decide, get a carbon monoxide monitor.