Questions and Answers for Z-Flex 4 in. x 35 ft. Gas Aluminum Chimney Liner Kit

A:  The installation manual of every furnace will have a section outlining the tested, approved, and certified venting strategy for that appliance. That is the only methodology that can be used. I have no way of knowing what is required for your equipment. This product is for lining an existing masonry chimney. It is only for use in a chimney and cannot be used on its own to vent an appliance. That would be extremely dangerous. I would suggest you speak to a local qualitied licensed heating specialist or the inspector in your town before proceeding.

A:  Chimney liners are not stocked in stores. But you can order it on line and have it shipped to the store for pick up.

A:  No this product is not designed or intended to be used on a direct vent appliance. It should not be used on a direct vent appliance under any circumstances. This is a chimney liner. A chimney is not simply an exhaust pipe. A chimney is an air column that creates draft. It is a machine with very few, if any moving parts, that creates what we call natural draft. The chimney and the draft it creates acts like a super charger and pulls into the appliance the large quantities or air needed for combustion. The draft pulls this air in from the area around the appliance. The air does not travel down the chimney. Chimney liners are used to improve the daft of the chimney. If you are installing a direct vent appliance, the installation manual will include specific information as to what venting material can be used. It will typically indicate a category of venting material. Only venting systems within that category can be used to safely vent the appliance.

A:  I don’t see why not. That’s pretty much what I did, but I use natural gas.

A:  Obviously I am unfamiliar with the particulars of your chimney and the code in your state, so I can not say definitively if this is the correct liner for your specific application. For that you would need to consult a qualified licensed professional or the inspector in your town. However generally speaking aluminum chimney liners are used for natural gas and propane. Why do you line a chimney? Chimneys are not simply exhaust pipes. Chimneys are actually machines. But machines with very few moving parts. The hot exhaust is vented into the chimney. The hot exhaust rises and creates a suction called draft that pulls more combustion air into the combustion chamber. Burning fuel requires a tremendous amount of air. The draft provides this air. As equipment has become more efficient over the years, more heat is being pulled out of the flue gas. So it is less buoyant. This can cause insufficient draft that starves the flame. For example the inside of my chimney is so big that Santa would have no problem getting down with a big bag of toys. As a result I did not get sufficient draft or a good flame. In fact this resulted in something we call roll out. Flames rolled out the bottom of my appliance on to the floor. The path of least resistance was for the flames to roll out rather than being drawn up. Very dangerous. The solution was to make my old flue smaller so there was less volume to heat up and draft was created faster. I dropped the liner down the chimney. I sealed it at the top then I reached into the chimney and pulled the liner out and connected it to the gas appliance. So in the end I am venting through the liner and the chimney is acting as a fire proof chase that holds the liner. This is done with oil burning equipment as well, but with that you typically use stainless steel to handle the hotter and more corrosive flue gasses. Modern wood stoves can also suffer from these problems. Again stainless steel is also used but a special blanket needs to be wrapped around the liner. This is to make sure the air in the flue around the liner does not cool off the flue gas inside the liner to cool condense and fall back down. I hope this helps.

A:  Yes we currently have 7 in stock. So that you can estimate shipping time from us to you, please note the inventory for this product is held in Massachusetts. Also if we did not have them in stock he Home Depot web site would say unavailable.

A:  No. Pellets, wood, coal, etc. are basically what we call solid fuel. Solid fuel burns to hot for aluminum. You would need to go to stainless steel at a minimum. I say at a minimum because you will mostly also need insulation as well; such as an insulated sock to go around the liner. The answer would depend on your chimney, the stove and the code in your specific area. Now many people would ask, Why would I need to insulate a liner if it is inside a masonry non combustible chimney? The answer is condensation and the resulting acid. When you burn fuel, you are burning a hydrocarbon. So hydrogen. You are burning it with oxygen. Hydrogen and oxygen form water. Water is a major component of what comes out your chimney. You want this water to exit the chimney as inviable steam. This is one of the major reasons we line chimneys. To make them smaller, so that we create maximum draft as fast as possible. If the area around the liner is not insulated the air in the space between the chimney and the liner can pull the heat out of the flue gas. This can cause the water to condense into a liquid state inside the liner. This water contains the other bio-products of combustion and is essentially sulfuric acid. That acid will burn through the stainless steel. So again, unusually with solid fuels you need to use both a stainless steel liner and an insulation sock. Sometimes they back fill the space between the chimney wall and the liner with isolation pellets. The maker of the pellet stove should be able to tell you more about what that specific unit requires.

A:  That is an issue of code which varies state to state, community to community and even inspector to inspector. So you really should ask either a licensed qualified contractor in your area or the code enforcement official in your area. However I can tell you that natural gas and LP burn at very similar temperatures so typically aluminum liners are used on natural gas and LP. Stainless steel is typically used for home heating oil and if you want to use stainless steel for wood they typically require it be covered with a refractory sock. But ultimately you should contact an export in your area because the rules are different and are interpreted differently throughout the country.

A:  Typically aluminum is used on gas and stainless steel is used on oil; due to the higher exhaust temperature and the corrosive nature of oil exhaust. However every appliance has different venting requirements that will be outlined in the installation manual and each state has different codes regulating venting. Both must be adhered to for safe dependable operation. Thus I would consult the installation manual for the appliance being considered as well as the code enforcement official or a licensed trade professional, in your area, before making any decision on product selection or installation.