Warning: a 3 foot crack in a flue liner almost ruined my week

Got a call for a standard cleaning in a 1920s house here in town. Everything seemed fine until I ran the camera up and saw a huge vertical crack, about 3 feet long, in the clay liner. The homeowner had no idea. I had to stop the cleaning right there, explain the carbon monoxide risk, and give them a quote for a full liner replacement. It was a tough conversation because the repair cost is over $2,000. What makes you guys decide when a crack is bad enough to stop work and push for a full fix instead of just noting it on the report?

4 comments

4 Comments

victor7792mo ago

Read a chimney safety manual last year that was pretty clear. It said any vertical crack over an inch is a red flag. Lets heat and gas right into the brickwork. Spencer_owens58 is right, a three foot split is a total system failure. You can't just note that and move on. The risk is way too high, even if the news is tough to give.

kelly6382mo ago

But sometimes a crack is just a crack, right? Not every flaw needs a full stop and a huge bill.

spencer_owens582mo ago

Totally get that. But a three foot crack is a major failure, not just a flaw. Carbon monoxide is no joke, gotta shut it down.

taylor.reese2d ago

Jumped into this one with my coffee and almost choked. I mean, three feet isnt just a crack, thats practically a skylight for your flue. I once told a customer their chimney had just a "little hairline thing" and then spent a whole weekend convincing myself I wasnt gonna be the guy who caused a house fire. Nope, you did the right thing. Ive learned the hard way that "just note it" usually means "ignore it until it becomes a bigger problem," and my wallet cant handle another "oops" moment like that. Sometimes being the bearer of bad news is better than being the guy on the news.