Heating Utilities, Chimneys and Chimney Liners, and Flue Gases

We will save the conversation about the condition of the exterior chimney, brick and pointing, and mortar cap for another day.

I wanted to quickly speak about a couple things to keep an eye on when updating or replacing a heating system or heating appliance, whether it be a boiler, furnace, or water heater. Typically, when converting an oil-fired heating system to a gas-fired system or replacing to a higher efficiency heating system and using the chimney, the chimney should be properly relined.

Importance of Proper Chimney Lining

Many high efficient gas-fired appliances vent into masonry or clay lined chimneys. If vented into a potentially unlined, oversized, and/or improperly lined chimney, the acidic flue gases will quickly cool and are likely to condense on the interior walls of the chimney. The acidic gases will, over time, cause deterioration of the interior of the chimney, whether it is the brick and mortar of an unlined chimney or a chimney with a clay liner. This may cause safety hazards and expensive repair costs.

Proper Chimney Liner

When a properly sized stainless steel chimney liner is installed, the warm flue gases exit the chimney faster. The water vapor in the flue gases is safely vented up and out of the chimney. Any remaining water and condensation is contained within the stainless flue. This installation is much more efficient, as well as safer.

This is, really, a much larger topic and has many dynamic factors to it. But, I just wanted to touch on a few things that I feel are very important about converting a heating system or upgrading and replacing a heating system.

Contact Us Today

If you have any questions or want more information about this topic or anything else home inspection related, reach out to the BeaconLight Team!We would love to hear from you! We can be contaced via phone at (617) 681-HOME or by filling out our team's online contact form!

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-Phil Cucchi & The BeaconLight Team