Chimney Liner Installation in Deptford, NJ

Why clay tile flues in Deptford fail, and what relining actually involves

Clay tile cracks because it heats faster than the brick around it. One hot fire after a cold week, and the tile expands against mortar that cannot move. In pre-1980 ranches, split-levels and river-town rowhomes, those joints are sixty years old. Freeze-thaw on the exposed stack above the roofline finishes the job. Water enters through a cracked crown and washes the remaining mortar out from between tiles.

Fuel conversions cause the other half of the calls here. An old furnace left a masonry flue sized for its own draft. Swap in a modern gas appliance and the flue is now oversized. Gases cool on the way up, condense, and soak the brick. Vent-free gas log sets retrofitted into old masonry fireboxes do the same thing lower down.

A reline means a stainless liner sized to the appliance, not to the chimney. Round beats square for draft. The liner gets insulated, wrap or poured fill, so flue gases stay above their condensation point. Offsets in the smoke chamber decide whether rigid or flexible goes in.

Prefab metal chase chimneys in 1980s–2000s townhouses are different. Those are listed systems. They take manufacturer parts, not a generic liner.