Why Insulate your Stainless Liner?

Flexible stainless chimney liners are great! They really are far and away superior products compared to traditional masonry liners and often perform better when properly installed. The cost for a typical liner installation averages to be around the $1,500 mark if professionally done and this can cause many homeowners to try to cut costs. One of the first things to get cut is the insulation. This cuts the cost of the materials as well as the labor to remove the old liner which can add up. The following is why we INSULATE EVERY LINER WE INSTALL!

The primary function of insulation is protecting the house structure from damage caused by a chimney fire – protection. There are performance benefits to insulating a liner but these are secondary to its intended purpose. Masonry chimneys are required by code, whether NFPA or IRC, to have an airpace around them with no combustbles abutting their structure which protects the structure in case of a chimney fire. Sadly, almost no chimneys fully satisfy this requirement so consequently a liner should be installed with an insulation system approved for “zero clearance” systems. This negates the airspace requirement and provides the protection needed.

Bottom line, the insulation is safer, it performs better, and it’s code.