A chimney liner is absolutely an essential safety element when using natural gas as your heating source. While it may seem counterintuitive, especially since gas is billed as a clean energy source, the liner is a must-have due to a little-known fact about the combustion byproducts of natural gas.
For the gas to combust, it needs to take in air – the same air that contains acids, chlorides and other environmental pollutants, not to mention water vapor. It is the condensation of these byproducts and vapors that can take down an unlined chimney.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America offers a thorough explanation of the process, but here’s a synopsis: Water vapor is always produced during combustion. In fact, burning 1 cubic foot of gas yields 2 cubic feet of water vapor. When the heating appliance and venting system are properly matched, the water vapor is carried out of the system quickly enough and at a warm enough temperature that it does not condense within the chimney. If there is not enough heat, however, this moisture will turn to liquid. This is especially problematic in chimneys that are running along exterior walls or that are even entirely outside of the building.
Without a liner, that moisture can condense and accumulate inside your brick-and-mortar chimney. What’s the harm in that? For one, there’s the potential damage from that water freezing inside the small cracks of the masonry. If this moisture turns to ice – and expands in these gaps – your chimney will heave and crack, and before you know it, you have a disaster on your hands. Plus, the condensation can also draw in acids from the natural gas exhaust or interact with existing soot deposits left behind from when the chimney was venting more pollutant-filled exhaust. This can corrode the brick or masonry faster, leading to structural problems or even venting back into the building – a serious health hazard!
Back in September, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the new Retrofit Accelerator has taken over as the administrating program for NYC Clean Heat and PlaNYC, offering recommendations and consultations for those buildings that are still noncompliant currently or are looking to proactively update their building to use cleaner heating options in advance of the next 2030 conversion deadline. Learn more about the transition in our earlier blog.
Local Law 43 requires that you line or re-line your chimney as part of converting your building’s furnace or boiler to natural gas. At Heritage Chimney Service, we’re experts in performing full chimney inspection and lining services for oil-to-gas conversions, and can help you get your building into compliance and install a stainless steel or FuranFlex liner.
To learn more, call us at 917-748-8569 today or request an appointment online now.
