Famco Flue Liner Replacement Nationwide

Famco Flue Liner Replacement: The Easton Owner’s Guide

We stock and install Famco-compatible flue liner replacement in Easton, with most jobs running $1,800-$3,400 installed depending on height, diameter, and whether the existing liner pulls clean or has to be cut out. In the older colonials near the Delaware Canal, where we’ve worked for decades, we typically have the right diameter and alloy on the truck for same-day completion. Most Easton homeowners discover the problem mid-burning season: a smoky fireplace, a hot exterior wall, or a neighbor mentioning they just had a chimney fire and now they’re wondering about theirs.

Call (610) 756-1504

Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco manufactured several liner series over the years, and the label matters. The Famco FasNSeal and Famco UltraPro lines are the two we encounter most often in Easton homes built between 1960 and 1995. FasNSeal used a 316Ti stainless alloy with a corrugated flex profile; UltraPro shifted to a smoother wall design in the 1990s with slightly different end fittings. If your original paperwork is gone, check the top termination: FasNSeal collars have a two-bolt clamp with a stamped “FNS” mark; UltraPro uses a three-tab twist-lock.

Here’s where owners get tripped up. Famco sold some liners as “universal fit” with adapter sleeves that reduce from 8-inch to 6-inch or 7-inch to 5-inch. Those adapters corrode first, and a replacement liner ordered to the adapter size rather than the flue’s true inner dimension will draft poorly and soot up fast. We measure with a laser caliper down the full flue length, not just the top two feet. OEM Famco liners are no longer in production, so we source replacement from Famco’s current parent company’s compatible spec or, when appropriate, match to DuraFlex or Olympia Chimney equivalents that meet the same UL 1777 listing. The alloy grade, not the brand stamp, is what protects your Easton home.

Signs Your Famco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing

• Smoke backing up into the room on startup. A separated or perforated Famco liner loses its sealed airway, so combustion gases spill into the smoke chamber instead of rising. In Easton’s older masonry, we’ve found liner separations 8-12 feet down where freeze-thaw cycles stressed the flex joint.
• Hot bricks or stucco on the chimney exterior. When the liner’s insulation layer degrades or the stainless wall thins, heat transfers directly to the surrounding brick. We measured 180°F surface temperatures on a Palmer Township job last February where the Famco liner had pinholed at the thimble.
• White or orange staining on the firebox back wall. Condensation from incomplete combustion, caused by a liner that’s too large or too damaged to maintain proper draft temperature. The acids in that condensation eat mortar, and the stain is your warning before the wall needs rebuilding.
• Chunks of clay tile in the fireplace or cleanout. If your original chimney had clay liner and a Famco flex liner was retrofitted inside it, the clay is now debris and the flex is doing all the work. When the flex fails, the clay reveals itself as evidence that the primary protection is gone.
• Your carbon monoxide detector chirps during fireplace use. This is not a battery issue. A compromised liner can leak CO into wall cavities or the attic space. We treat this as an urgent call and inspect same-day.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

For Easton homes, Famco flue liner replacement typically falls in these ranges:

What drives the spread: height (every 10 feet adds material and labor), whether the existing liner is intact enough to pull out or has to be demolished in place, and if the top plate or crown needs resealing after the new liner passes through. Our estimate includes the liner, insulation where code requires it, new top termination and rain cap, and the Level-2 camera inspection with photos you keep. We agree to the full number before booking. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers the installation in writing, no arguing. If the flue is clear and the mortar is sound, that’s all the good news you need.

DIY or Call Us?

An owner can safely check three things: whether the damper opens fully, whether the rain cap is present and clear of nests, and whether there’s visible debris in the firebox. Beyond that, flue liner replacement involves working on a steep roof with heavy stainless coil, managing the drop without damaging the liner wall, and verifying proper draft with a manometer. The liner also has to meet Easton’s adoption of the International Residential Code for clearances to combustibles, which is not a judgment call. We’ve retrieved DIY attempts where the liner kinked on a sharp offset and had to be cut out, doubling the cost. Russell Haines learned this trade hands-on through the building trades program at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, then spent decades on chimneys before starting Hearthstone in 1984. We’re not affiliated with Famco, but we know their product lines from repeated installation and extraction across Easton and the Lehigh Valley. Call (610) 756-1504 and a live person will pick up, any hour.

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