Do I Need To Insulate My Chimney Liner?
If you are considering installing a chimney liner it may be a good idea to invest in insulation for it as well. It is a highly recommended practice to have your chimney liner insulated. Especially if you have a stainless-steel chimney liner. The benefits are many, but there is no legal requirement. Insulation will allow the flue to heat up faster to a higher temperature. A hotter flue will avoid having an inadequate draft. When a fire burns hot the elements of creosote do not buildup as quickly, keeping your chimney clean and safe from chimney fires.
What Are The Benefits of a Chimney Liner?
- Reduce creosote buildup
- Improve the overall performance of the flue
- Improve efficiency
- Reduce condensation
- Cleaner air – a warmer liner creates cleaner combustion
Types of Chimney Insulation
Not all chimney liners are the same. There are two that are heavily used.
Insulated blanket – Alkaline earth silicate is used in insulated blankets. The blanket is the most user-friendly insulation to use in your chimney liner.
Alkaline earth silicate is a material that is made from a high-density insulation material. The blanket is wrapped around the chimney liner. It is wrapped from top to bottom. Do not use fiberglass insulation as it is not made for high temperature use.
If you do not have a lot of room between the flue and the liner, a blanket may not be your answer. Your option would be the vermiculite chimney insulation mix. This consists of vermiculite and Portland cement. It is mixed together and poured around the stainless-steel chimney liner. It will take about a week to harden. Once hard it will provide a zero clearance, U.L. listed insulation.
Reasons Why You Would Want To Insulate Your Chimney Liner
Chimney is on an exposed outside wall
This probably being the most common reason that one would insulate their chimney liner. A chimney liner that doesn’t benefit from the heat from the home or building struggles to get to a temperature hot enough to allow smoke to escape. You will find yourself with smoke in the room.
Chimney stands too tall
In some cases when there are no trees around the building, the chimney actually stands too tall. The chimney struggles with carrying heat all the way to the top of the stack. Using chimney liner insulation will eliminate that concern.
The Chimney diameter is too big. You are losing heat if there is space between the flue and the liner. Adding insulation helps with a more efficient temperature.
If you have any questions regarding chimney liner insulation or any other way to burn your fires more efficiently, feel free to give us a call. We would be more than happy to help.
We are a full-fledged, family-owned, and operated fireplace and chimney company proudly serving Southeastern Wisconsin since 1995. Fireplaces are our life, and we try our best to help everyone out with simple questions all the way to specifics of design and installation. We truly enjoy meeting and helping out each of our customers and would very much appreciate the chance to bring warmth and comfort to your home. Call us, we will be happy to meet with you.