Video: Demonstrating why an unlined brick chimney needs a flexible stainless steel liner installed. The flue is crucial to the performance of the appliance, efficiency, its longevity, emissions reduction and CO safety. This video example shows that only 2.5m of flue height (4.5m minimum for Building Regs Approved Document J) creates a draw which can be clearly observed even with an old and poorly conditioned burner!
Correct diameter flue draws air through burner as fumes rise in it, causing the 'draw'.
Flue is removed, draw stops, flame weakens, less oxygen to the fire, smoke and dangerous CO produced.
Flue replaced, draw re-established immediately, efficiency regained smoke and CO production stops.
An unlined brick chimney can leak hot gasses, fumes and CO into the household, and will be producing fumes, soot and CO in copious amounts due to the burner losing heat through the chimney stack which kills the 'draw', the gasses do not rise properly being cooler, have to first fill the large gather volume above the register plate, and are restricted in their flow by the roughness of the brick or stone chimney internal walls, which leads to cooling of the gasses too much, and therefore depositing soot inside the chimney, contributing to pollution, Carbon Monoxide poisoning, and chimney fires! These effects work in a feedback loop, so the worse the flue performs, then the worse the burner performs, and so more fumes, soot and CO are produced, and then the cycle repeats until the applaince and chimney stack becomes dangerous! Having the correct flexible flue liner installed will bring the appliance performance back to expected levels, being better for the appliance, flue, house, environment, and house occupants health and safety.
Result of a chimney fire, needs a liner
All four chimney brests were leaking smoke into eachother, from the living room to bedrooms, the chimney in use needs lining
Burner rear exit rusted-off and leaking fumes into the house due to soot and damp collecting in the bend, needs a flexible steel liner to improve performance to the appliance, therefore reducing soot and fume production and drive off moisture.
The next door neighbours deteriorating chimney stack actually filled this house with smoke and set off their CO alarm. The neighbours stack needs repairing and the correct cowl for solid fuel added, and also needs a flexible steel liner installed.
Old liner incomplete to the top, leading to acidic destruction of the chimney mortar. Needs rebuilding and the correct flexible steel liner.
Looking down the chimney, the flue failure (caused by incorrect fuels used, age of liner, and lack of sweeping), mortar failure and excessive soot blocked the flue. A smoke test showed an open flue, but camera footage and inspection from above showed the real extent of the deterioration and dangers.
Mortar cleared away from the last picture, 316 grade liner installed where a 904 should have been used, but also many years of additional unauthorised fuels added to the decomposition of liner. New 904 grade SS flexible liner required so that the existing appliance can be used with smokeless fuel..
Neighbours chimney pot and flue sooting-up due to inefficient operation of their solid fuel burner, reducing the internal diameter of the flue, becoming a fire and Carbon Monoxide hazard to this household and their neighbour, and an environmental hazard to all. A thorough chimney clean and installation of flexible SS liner is required.
Clear to see that the chimney cavity from living room is performing poorly, the coolness of the stone allows the tars, condensation and soot to condense out onto the porous sandstone, and leach though. The soot and tar buildup will increase until either a chimney fire will occurr, or it becomes so restricted that copious smoke and CO are produced, much of which will enter the house and endanger the occupants. A chimney liner is required, after a thorough clean out of the chimney void, to contain any fumes, make the appliance perform more efficiently by retaining heat which creates the 'draw', make the appliance perform cleaner, and make the whole system safe.
BUT - Don't trust your liner install to just anyone, use a HETAS Registered Installer for your own safety and piece of mind. This liner was installed 'by an experienced builder' who not only installed it upside down, but failed to get it completely up or down the chimney, and left the end folded and creased over in the chimney stack! He passed his installation with a 'smoke test', but upon using the appliance, smoke filled the room and the occupants needed professional help. This is just one of many 'dodgy' installs happening all the time by builders, plumbers, friends, and actual homeowners!
They were left with this damaged liner inside their chimney, luckily they were not killed by the poor workmanship of the builder, and they found me on the HETAS website to remove this and correctly install their liner, then commission their appliance to the correct standards.
Make sure you use a HETAS Registered Installer for your liner and appliance commissioning. (Liner going up the stack)
Never a straight run for a liner, so call the HETAS professionals to make sure its installed to specification, without damage, to last decades, and with your safety in mind!
Make sure you use a HETAS Registered Installer for your liner and appliance commissioning. (Liner going down the stack)