Why a High Performance Lining Is Needed With Gas or Oil Appliances
Gas and oil appliances continue to increase in popularity, and more and more homeowners convert their wood fireplace to oil or gas every year. In addition to being extremely efficient and having low costs to operate and maintain, oil and gas fireplaces now have more realistic than ever looking flames that are able to closely match the look and heat production that wood provides.
While switching to a gas or oil heating appliance can save you money, it is important to make sure you have the right flue for your new appliance. Oftentimes, a new high performance lining may be needed with gas or oil appliances.
What is a high performance lining?
When it comes to chimney liners, high performance is not a specific brand or model. There are three major types of chimney liners: Heavy, High Performance Light, and Light. The Heavy category is the thickest and strongest chimney linings, and because of this tend to cost the most. Likewise, Light chimney liners are lighter and more flexible and cost less. In the middle, High Performance Light chimney liners are an ideal mix between strength and flexibility, creating a moderately priced chimney liner.
Why gas and oil need a high performance lining
The High Performance Light chimney lining is ideal for oil and gas appliances. Unlike wood burning fires, gas and oil appliances produce minimal byproducts of combustion such as smoke, ash, and soot. Because of this, the extreme thickness of the Heavy category of chimney liners is not necessary. However, the high temperatures that gas and oil burn at produce too much heat for a Light lining. High Performance linings provide the ideal amount of flexibility as well as durability against heat that gas and oil appliances need.
Relining an old chimney for a new appliance
If you are installing a gas or oil fireplace into an existing open hearth fireplace, your chimney may need to be relined. Flue size is extremely important to both fireplace safety and efficiency, and it is important that the size of the flue matches the requirements of the new heating appliance.
In order for your fireplace to operate with maximum efficiency, the chimney needs to match the size of the appliance. If the chimney is too big, the products of combustion can stall in the flue and take too long to vent. This not only decreases efficiency, but can also lead to increased buildup in the chimney.
Likewise, another major reason to have a chimney relined when switching fuel sources is because of the differences in the byproducts of combustion. While wood burning fires create creosote as the main byproduct of combustion, oil and gas fires create an acidic, corrosive condensate. While the clay tile liners that most fireplaces have are able to handle creosote buildup, the condensate created by oil and gas can eat away at the clay, causing it to degrade and break down. Relining with a durable high performance lining can safely protect your chimney from these harmful byproducts of combustion.
If you have a new gas or oil heating appliance, it may be time to have your chimney relined. Contact Guaranteed Chimney Service today to learn how a high performance lining can improve the safety and efficiency of your gas or oil appliance.