Brick vs. Metal chimney liners - has anyone here switched and noticed a big difference?

I've been sweeping for about 8 years now. Early on I mostly saw brick flues but the last 3 years almost every new install or reline I come across is metal. My old boss swore by brick - said it holds heat better and lasts twice as long. But my buddy who does new construction says metal is way easier to clean and rarely cracks. I just did a job on West Hill where a guy had a 20 year old metal liner that was all warped near the top. Replaced it with another metal one but now I'm second guessing if brick would have been smarter. What's your take? Have you seen one hold up noticeably better than the other over a long stretch?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_craig267d ago

My buddy runs a masonry crew up in Vermont and he's had to tear out six brick flues in the last year because they were flaking apart from creosote eating the mortar. The heat retention argument is true but only if you're burning wood 24/7, most people these days run a fire a few nights a week and the brick just soaks up moisture in between. Warping at the top on a 20 year old metal liner sounds like a draft issue or a cheap gauge, not a reason to go back to something that can literally crumble into your firebox.

jessicajohnson7d ago

Right? That crumbling thing is no joke. I had a buddy's old house with a brick flue and we opened it up for a cleanout and pieces of mortar just fell right into the firebox, scary stuff. People don't realize how fast that creosote eats through the joints.