Your chimney is responsible for venting gases produced from fuel out of your home and into the atmosphere. Fuels such as propane, oil, kerosene, natural gas, and wood all produce flue gases that must be vented into a chimney. In order for these gases to be expelled into the atmosphere, there must be proper drafting of the chimney.

Chimneys can have three types of interior liners, made of different materials: clay, ceramic, or metal. These liners help to direct the flue gasses into the outside atmosphere. Chimney liners are also responsible for stopping lethal carbon monoxide gas from seeping into your home. They do this by preventing hot embers in smoke from entering through a crack in the flue, which can potentially cause materials in or around the chimney to ignite.

For optimal use and safety, a liner is needed when installing a new heating system, furnace, boiler, or water heater. Local codes and the International Fuel Gas Code require proper venting and chimney liners for flue gasses to be vented into the outdoor atmosphere. Wood and coal burning fuels must be vented in a separate chimney liner and not to be vented with Natural Gas, Propane or Oil burning fuels in a single chimney liner. It can be very dangerous to you and your home to use equipment that does not have a chimney liner installed. Studies conducted by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) found that unlined chimneys facilitate an unsafe movement of heat, causing wood adjacent to a fireplace to ignite within three and a half hours.