Chimney Cap Installation
The cheapest repair on any chimney: a stainless hood and screen that keeps weather and animals out.
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A New SleeveInside an Old Flue
Chimney Liner Installation in Binghamton, NY
Sized to the Appliance, Not GuessedBinghamton Master Chimney Sweep handles chimney liner installation in Binghamton for wood stoves, fireplace inserts, oil furnaces and gas water heaters. We run a stainless liner down the old flue; most jobs land between $1,500 and $4,500.
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Types of Chimney Liners We Install
Most chimneys in Binghamton were lined with square clay tiles when the house was built, often 80 or 100 years ago. Clay holds up fine until it doesn't: one hard chimney fire, decades of freeze-thaw or acidic furnace gas, and the joints open. A liner is like a sleeve sewn inside an old coat. The coat stays, and the sleeve does the work. That's all relining means: a new steel tube slid inside an old one that can't be trusted anymore.
Which liner goes in depends on what's burning at the bottom:
1. Stainless Steel Chimney Liner for Wood Stoves
Wood smoke is the hardest on a flue, so wood stoves get 316Ti stainless (a tougher steel grade) sized to the stove's collar, usually 6 inches. We wrap it in a ceramic insulation blanket. A warm liner drafts better and builds up less creosote.
2. Fireplace Insert Liners
An insert dumped into an open fireplace with no liner smokes, sweeps badly and coats the old flue in creosote. We run a full-length liner from the insert's outlet to a sealed top plate, so the sweep brush can reach the whole run next fall.
3. Oil Furnace Chimney Liner
Oil exhaust is acidic and slowly eats clay tile and mortar from the inside. You'll see crumbled tile at the cleanout door at the bottom of the chimney. A 316L stainless liner, sized to the burner, stops it.
4. Water Heater Chimney Liner
This one surprises people. When an old furnace gets swapped for a high-efficiency model that vents out the side wall, the gas water heater is left alone in a big cold flue. Its exhaust cools, condenses and drips. A smaller 304 stainless liner fixes the draft. Last winter we did three of these in one month on the West Side alone.
5. Rigid vs Flexible Chimney Liners
Straight flue? A rigid liner, smooth-walled, sweeps cleaner and lasts longer. Chimneys with an offset (a bend partway up, common in older Cape Cods) get a flexible corrugated liner that bends around it. We tell you which after the camera run.
How Much Does a Chimney Liner Cost in Binghamton?
A chimney liner in Binghamton costs $1,200 to $2,200 for a gas water heater, $1,800 to $3,200 for an oil furnace or boiler, and $2,500 to $4,500 for an insulated wood stove or insert liner. Tall or crooked flues add $300 to $1,200. Most liners go in within a day.
- Gas water heater liner (304 stainless): $1,200 to $2,200
- Oil furnace or boiler liner (316L): $1,800 to $3,200
- Wood stove or insert liner, insulated (316Ti): $2,500 to $4,500
- Tall chimney, offset or tight flue: add $300 to $1,200
- Time: most liners go in within one day
The price is set after the camera run and written down. It doesn't change once we're on the roof.
What Every Liner Job Includes
- A sweep and camera run of the old flue before we size anything
- A UL 1777 listed stainless liner (the lab test chimney liners must pass)
- Tee or connector to the appliance, top plate and rain cap
- Insulation wrap on every wood stove and insert liner
- A draft test with the appliance running before we leave
- Roof, room and basement cleaned up, old tile shards hauled away
Signs Your Chimney Needs a New Liner
Most people find out from a camera inspection. These are the other clues we see in Binghamton basements and living rooms:
- Pieces of clay tile or flaky mortar at the cleanout door
- You're putting in a wood stove or insert where there wasn't one
- Your old furnace was replaced and the water heater now vents alone
- Rust-colored streaks or wet patches on the chimney inside the house
- Smoke smell upstairs when the stove or furnace runs
- A chimney fire, even a small one
Which Chimney Liner Fits Your Appliance?
The right liner depends on what burns below it. Wood needs the toughest steel and an insulation wrap, oil needs acid-resistant steel, and gas needs a lighter grade sized to the burner. Here is how the three compare on grade, insulation and price in Binghamton:
| Appliance | Steel grade | Insulation | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood stove | 316Ti stainless | Yes, ceramic wrap | $2,500 to $4,500 |
| Fireplace insert | 316Ti stainless | Yes | $2,500 to $4,500 |
| Oil furnace or boiler | 316L stainless | Usually | $1,800 to $3,200 |
| Gas water heater | 304 stainless | Rarely | $1,200 to $2,200 |
How Long Does a Stainless Chimney Liner Last?
A properly sized stainless liner lasts 15 to 25 years, often longer on wood when it's swept every year. The wrong grade is what kills liners early. We've seen 304 liners on oil boilers pit through in under 10 years. That's why we match the steel to the fuel instead of stocking one kind.
Why Clay Flue Tiles Fail in Binghamton
Binghamton spends about 133 days a year below freezing, and the Susquehanna fog keeps old brick damp. Water soaks into the top tiles, freezes and splits them. Add houses built between the 1910s and 1950s, many with tiles that were never mortared tight, and a cracked flue is the normal finding, not the rare one. Keeping the top dry with a new chimney crown slows it down.
Can I Install a Chimney Liner Myself?
You can buy a liner kit online, and some handy people do it. The hard parts are on the roof: getting a 30-foot coil down a tight flue, sealing the top plate and getting the size right for the draft. A wrong-sized liner smokes or creosotes up fast. Most insurers also want a pro's paperwork on a wood stove liner.
What Happens on Chimney Liner Installation Day
A chimney liner job is mostly prep. Here's how the day runs:
- We lay drop cloths from the door to the stove or furnace and close off the room
- The flue gets swept so the liner slides down clean, and we measure from the appliance to the top
- If the old tiles are too tight, we break out the worst of them with a long-handled tool
- Two of us feed the liner down from the roof while one guides it at the bottom
- We connect it to the appliance, seal the top plate and set the rain cap
- We light the appliance and watch the draft with you before we pack up
We reline chimneys all over Broome County, including Endicott. Use Contact Us and we'll set up the camera run.
Brush first.Then the camera.30 years in Broome County
How We Work on Every Chimney
- Southern Tier30 YrsOn the roofs
- Every sweepCamInspection
- First flue$250Flat price
- Every hearthHEPAClean room
- Own crew100%No subs
Questions we hear
Chimney Liner Installation FAQs
How much does a chimney liner cost in Binghamton?
Chimney liner installation in Binghamton usually costs $1,500 to $4,500. A gas water heater liner is at the low end, around $1,200 to $2,200, while an insulated 316Ti stainless liner for a wood stove or insert runs $2,500 to $4,500. Tall or crooked chimneys add $300 to $1,200.
Does a wood stove need an insulated liner?
In most Binghamton chimneys, yes. Insulation keeps the stainless liner hot, which keeps the smoke rising fast and cuts creosote buildup. It also gives the clearance to nearby framing that many older chimneys lack, because the wood is often touching the brick in houses from the 1920s.
How long does chimney liner installation take?
Most chimney liner installations take one day. We sweep and camera the flue, feed the liner down from the roof, connect it to the stove, insert or furnace, seal the top plate and cap, then run a draft test. Chimneys that need tile broken out to fit the liner can take a second day.
Is a cracked flue liner dangerous?
Yes. Cracks between clay flue tiles let heat reach wood framing beside the chimney and let carbon monoxide seep into the house. They also let acidic exhaust eat the mortar from inside. New York requires CO alarms in homes with fuel-burning appliances, but a sound flue is the real fix.
Do I need a new cap with a chimney liner?
Yes, but it comes with the liner. Every stainless steel liner we install gets a top plate and a chimney cap, and both are in the price. If other flues share the chimney, we can fit one multi-flue cap over all of them instead, which keeps rain and animals out of every flue at once.
Our Other Chimney Services
Chimney Crown Repair
Hairline cracks sealed, broken crowns rebuilt with a real overhang so rain drips clear of the brick.
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Chimney Inspection
A yearly look with every sweep, or a camera run down the flue before you buy or switch stoves.
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Chimney Repointing & Masonry Repair
Chimney repointing, tuckpointing and brick repair: worn joints repacked and flaking brick replaced before the freeze gets further in.
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Chimney Waterproofing
Leaks traced to the source, then sealed with a breathable repellent and flash seal.
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Wood Stove Chimney Cleaning
Stove and insert flues swept, baffle cleared and checked, $250 with the inspection.
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Wood Stove Chimney Installation
A new prefab chimney or liner for the stove you just bought, cleared to code.
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Contact Binghamton Master Chimney Today
Leave your name, number and a line about the chimney. We call back the same business day.