If you do not see a question you may have listed here, please email Support at support@hartshearth.com or call us at 800-924-0850 and ask us. We are more than happy to answer all questions.
 
 

How do I tell what I need to reline my chimney?
      You will need to know the size of your existing flue liner so you can determine what maximum size liner you can install. Go on your roof and measure the inside dimensions of your existing flue opening. You also need to know the length of liner you will need. If it is for a fireplace chimney and you still want to use it as a fireplace, measure from the top of your chimney down to the top of the smoke chamber. You will also need to know the size of your fireplace opening, height and width. Write down all measurements and give us a call.
     If you are relining to use a woodstove, measure from the top of the chimney down to where you will be hooking up your stove.  Measure the inside dimension of the exhaust on your woodstove (this is the size liner you will need to use). Write down all measurements and give us a call.
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Which liner is better, flexible or rigid pipe?
     Because of the smooth walls, rigid liner is somewhat better. But the ease of installing flexible liner far out weighs the difference in the smoothness of walls. You have to assemble rigid pipe as you install it and long lengths can mean trouble if you happen to drop the partially assembled pipe down the chimney. A general rule of thumb is if you only need to reline about 12 feet of straight chimney, go with the rigid. If your chimney is more than 13 feet or has any bends in it, go with the flexible liner.
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Do I really need to insulate my chimney liner?
     It is strongly advised that you do insulate. When you install your liner with the proper insulation we carry, your reline job achieves the UL Listing of 1777 Standard, which your insurance company will love. Besides, an insulated chimney has a better draft and stays cleaner longer.
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How does an insulated liner help reduce creosote?
    When you burn wood, the moisture in the wood (there is always a certain percentage) mixes with the creosote that is formed from burning wood and rises in the chimney as a gas (smoke).  When the smoke hits the relatively cool chimney, the creosote and moisture turn back into a solid/liquid. The cooler the chimney, the more adheres to it, the warmer the chimney, the less adheres to it. To put it in simpler terms: It is much like the un-insulated windows in your house. Those single pane windows are always wet with moisture from the house in the winter time because they are cold. No matter how warm you keep it in the house, the moisture is still there. But install insulated double-pane windows and you have no moisture on the windows anymore. If you touch the insulated glass, it still feels cool compared to the indoor temperature, but it is warmed enough not to allow condensation. An insulated chimney works much in the same way, where as it is not as warm hot as the fire, but warm enough to not allow the moisture and creosote mixture to adhere to it.
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Will you help me with installation questions before I order?
    We encourage you to call us and ask all the questions you need to before you purchase. We want you to be completely comfortable about the parts you will need and the installation process before purchasing your liner. However, we do ask that you do your part and read through installation instructions to get an idea what needs to be done. Our Support Team is very busy and we need all the help we can get from you too. You are already helping by reading through these FAQs.
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Will you help me with installation questions after I buy from you?
    Absolutely! We give all the phone and email support you need. We feel the most important thing is that you install your chimney liner in a safe and proper manner and we will be here to answer any of your questions long after the sale.
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Do your chimney liner kits come with instructions?
     Yes they do! But as a matter of fact, we encourage you to download the installation instructions from our website before you buy any reline product. Look on the page of the liner you are interested in and you will find a link to the instructions for that product.
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The instructions say to get a professional to install the liner, can I still install it myself?
     If you are a capable handy person with common sense, you can handle installing a chimney liner. HomeSaver, the manufacturer of our liner systems, sells mainly to chimney professionals and little to homeowners. They would like to give a boost to their "bread and butter" chimney professionals and we cannot blame them. But the fact remains that a capable person armed with the instructions and our Product and Tech Support can easily install a liner system. We urge you though, if you do not feel confident you can do the job properly after reading the instructions and talking to us on the phone about relining, do hire a Pro to do the job.
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I don't want to mess with doing it myself, where do I find an installer?
    You can find an installer near you by going to the HomeSaver website and entering in your zip code. A list of installers that are near you will come up. Just give them a call and mention you got their name from us at Hart's Hearth.
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Why should I use a HomeSaver brand liner?
    All stainless steel liners, just like all automobiles, are not the same. HomeSaver is UL Listed, has a transferable lifetime warranty, and has been installed in thousands of chimneys over the past 20 years. It has a superb reputation and is solidly backed by HomeSaver Chimney Systems.
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How can relining my chimney affect draft?
     Relined chimneys when properly insulated will provide warmer flue temperatures. This ability to maintain warm flue gas temperatures will also have a positive effect on draft. The warmer the chimney, the warmer the gas. The warmer the air (gas), the faster it rises, thus a much improved draft.
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I am installing a woodstove in my fireplace. How do I get past the damper housing with the chimney liner?
     There are a couple of ways to do this. You can convert from round liner to oval liner at the damper housing, go through the damper housing with the oval liner, then convert it back to round at the stove, but this causes a problem when it comes time to clean the chimney. It is also much more costly due to the adaptors and oval pipe needed. Or you can cut your damper housing so you can fit the liner down through it. Cutting the damper housing is the preferred method because you keep the same diameter liner all the way from the stove to the top of the chimney and cleaning can be done without moving your stove.

Can I pull the flexible liner up the chimney?
     If you are relining a fireplace chimney, you will most likely be able to pull the liner up the chimney with a "Nose Cone" and a rope, but it is usually much easier to let gravity help you and install the liner from above. When installing a liner in a standard chimney that has a thimble in the wall; you cannot install the liner from below because it would not make the 90 degree bend to go up the chimney.
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My roof has too much pitch and I can't stand on it, what do I do?
      You will need to take the time out to build a staging platform to give you a flat surface to stand on. If you do not have the time or knowledge to build one, we carry several types of scaffolds and safety items on our site that many pros use. They all set up quickly and are quite safe. They may be a bit costly, but, and I can't stress this enough, your safety is your number one priority! That relined chimney will not do you much good if you can't walk to go out to get the firewood because you fell off the roof!
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