Chimney Liners in Winnipeg
The liner is the pipe or tile inside the chimney that carries exhaust up and out. Plenty of older Winnipeg chimneys have cracked clay tiles, and a lot of them now vent a gas water heater they were never sized for. A stainless steel liner sorts out both.
Ballpark
- Stainless liner
- $1,500 to $4,500
- Work time
- Usually a day
- For
- Gas, oil and wood
- Season
- Most of the year
Why reline
What Goes Wrong Inside a Chimney
Older brick chimneys were lined with square clay flue tiles stacked one on top of the other. Over the years those tiles crack from heat, shift out of line, or get eaten away by the acidic moisture in furnace exhaust, and a chimney fire can crack them in one evening. Once the tiles are damaged, heat and exhaust reach the brick, and exhaust can find its way into the house.
Furnace upgrades add a problem that's very common here. A high-efficiency furnace vents out the wall through plastic pipe, so the chimney is often left serving only the water heater. A flue sized for a furnace and a water heater together is too big for the water heater alone, so the exhaust cools before it gets out, water condenses inside, and the draft can get weak enough to spill exhaust back into the basement. Manitoba's Inspection and Technical Services office has a bulletin on this exact situation.
The usual fixes are a stainless liner sized for the water heater, or a new water heater that vents out the wall as well. Gas venting has its own sizing rules, and work on the appliance connection is done by a licensed gas fitter.
Signs
When to Have the Liner Checked
A carbon monoxide alarm going off is never something to wait on. Get everyone outside first, then call 911.
Pieces of tile
Flakes or chunks of clay flue tile in the fireplace, or at the cleanout door at the bottom of the chimney.
A new furnace
The furnace was replaced with a high-efficiency one and the water heater still vents into the chimney.
Winter staining
Damp patches, white staining or flaking on the chimney in winter, inside or out, from moisture condensing in the flue.
After a chimney fire
A loud rumbling or roaring from a wood fireplace, or flakes of puffy creosote afterwards. Have it checked before the next fire.
A home inspection note
Inspectors often flag an unlined flue, an oversized one or a cracked tile when a house changes hands.
Ice at the top
Ice or frost building up at the top of the flue in a cold snap, which means the exhaust is cooling too much on the way up.
A stainless steel liner runs about $1,500 to $4,500 as a ballpark. See the cost guide for every repair.
FAQ
Chimney Liner Questions
If your question isn't here, call and ask. It's a quick conversation and there's no charge for it.
(431) 441-8780Do I need a chimney liner?
If the chimney serves a furnace, water heater, boiler or fireplace, and the existing flue tiles are cracked, missing, or the wrong size for what's venting through them, then yes. A look down the flue from the top usually tells us which.
My furnace was replaced. Why would the chimney need a liner now?
A high-efficiency furnace vents out the side of the house, which often leaves the water heater as the only thing using the chimney. The flue was sized for both, so it's now too big for the water heater alone. The exhaust cools, moisture condenses inside the chimney, and the draft can get weak enough for exhaust to spill into the basement. A smaller liner sized for the water heater fixes it.
Can a chimney be relined in the winter?
Usually, yes. The liner is fed down the flue from the top and there's no mortar that has to cure, so it's one of the jobs that can go ahead in colder months as long as the roof is safe to work on.
How much does a chimney liner cost in Winnipeg?
As a ballpark, $1,500 to $4,500. A liner for a gas water heater sits near the low end. Wood-burning fireplaces need a larger, insulated liner, and tall chimneys need more of it, which pushes the price toward the top of the range.
Free estimate
Tell us what your chimney is doing
Describe what you're seeing, or give us a call. We'll come out, get on your roof for a proper look, and give you a written price before anything is booked.
Rather talk it through? Call or text(431) 441-8780