Pro tip: that 'flexible' stainless liner I installed last Tuesday in Nashville collapsed on first use, so now I always double-check the wall thickness before sliding it down a flue.

Had to cut it out and redo the whole job in the rain while the homeowner stood there smoking a cigarette, has anyone else run into those thin cheap liners that just give out under heat?

3 comments

3 Comments

smith.elliot1d ago

Honestly though, those thin liners are fine for maybe 80 percent of residential jobs if you're not cranking a high-BTU furnace or wood stove through them. Maybe the issue was more about how it was handled coming off the spool or the specific flue had a tight bend that kinked it before the heat even hit it. I've put in a bunch of those cheaper stainless liners around here and never had one actually collapse, just had to be real careful not to pinch them during the install. Could be the Nashville humidity or the flue size was borderline for that gauge. Just saying, sometimes the problem isn't the liner itself but what you're feeding into it or how you're routing it.

fiona_hunt711d ago

Hah, yeah totally agree with you! I did a job last spring where the old clay tile had this nasty offset and the thin liner had to slide through this sharp spot. I was sweating bullets the whole time because I didn't want to crease it. But taking it real slow and using a proper pull rope with a swivel ended up being the trick. Also made sure the bottom had a decent tee with a drain trap so condensation could run out clean. I swear some of those horror stories are just from folks not taking the time to ease the liner around a tight bend or not sizing it right for what the appliance actually needs. You ever run into issues with build code inspectors flagging the thin stuff because they want a specific UL listing?

kai_burns731d ago

Honest truth? I used to think the gauge was everything but you're changing my mind.