Famco Flue Liner Replacement Nationwide

Famco Flue Liner Replacement: The San Mateo Owner’s Guide

We stock and install Famco-compatible flue liner replacement in San Mateo, with most jobs running $1,800-$3,400 installed depending on diameter, height, and whether the existing liner pulls cleanly or has to be cut out. Most Baywood and Hillsdale replacements we book are completed in a single day, and we carry common Famco diameters on the truck. Homeowners usually discover the problem during a sweep when the camera shows cracks, gaps at the collar, or corrosion scaling inside a stainless liner that has passed its service window in our salt-air climate.

Call (650) 600-3117

Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco manufactured several liner series over the years, and the replacement strategy depends on which one is in your chimney. The most common in San Mateo homes built between 1965 and 1995 are the Famco 316Ti flexible liners in 6-inch, 7-inch, and 8-inch diameters, and the heavier-gauge Famco 304 rigid sections used in some commercial and multi-flue installations. The model designation is usually stamped on the top collar or termination cap; if corrosion has eaten the stamp, we measure inner diameter and wall thickness with a caliper and match it against Famco’s old spec sheets.

We are an independent service provider with no affiliation to Famco. For most residential jobs, we install quality aftermarket equivalents sourced through our Haven buying network, typically from DuraFlex or Olympia Chimney, because Famco’s original production run ended years ago and remaining OEM inventory is inconsistent. The aftermarket liners we specify meet or exceed the original 316Ti spec, carry the same UL 1777 listing, and fit the same collar dimensions. The exception is historic or code-sensitive installations where the inspector wants to see Famco-specific documentation; in those cases, we source what we can find and quote it separately.

Signs Your Famco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing

• White or orange flaking inside the flue. This is chloride corrosion from our marine air hitting a 316Ti liner that has lost its passivation layer. In San Mateo, we see this accelerate within a mile of the bay, especially in homes without a rain cap that seals tight.
• Smoke smell in upstairs rooms when the fireplace is cold. A separated collar or cracked liner joint is leaking exhaust into the chimney cavity. The draft reverses when the stack temperature drops, pushing fumes through gaps rather than up and out.
• Chunks of clay or terra cotta in the firebox. Your Famco liner was likely a retrofit inside an original clay flue, and the clay is now collapsing because the liner shifted or the mortar between liner and clay degraded. The liner is doing its job, but the surrounding structure is not.
• Water stains on the ceiling near the chimney breast. A breached liner allows acidic condensate to reach the masonry, which wicks moisture outward. We see this pattern often in Baywood’s 1940s and 1950s stock where the chimney chase is unlined brick.
• The sweep’s camera shows a seam separation or hole. This is the definitive finding. A visible gap in a stainless liner, even pencil-width, voids the UL listing and creates a path for creosote to accumulate between liner and clay.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

The range widens with height, access difficulty, and whether we need to remove a damaged liner in pieces rather than pulling it intact. Every quote is written before work starts, per Haven Standard Clause 1. The liner carries a lifetime warranty on material defect; our labor is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. You get the camera footage, the written scope, and the written warranty before we leave.

DIY or Call Us?

There is no safe DIY path for flue liner replacement. The work involves working at height on a pitched roof, handling sharp stainless sections in a confined flue, and correctly sizing combustion air and draft dynamics. A liner that is even slightly undersized or improperly supported will overdraw the fireplace or spill carbon monoxide. We have found liners wedged in with no top support, creating a gap that collected creosote for years.

What you can do yourself: check the rain cap for damage, look down the flue with a flashlight for visible gaps or debris, and note any new smells or draft changes. Then call us at (650) 600-3117. Corrine Halstead or a named technician will arrive with the camera, show you what is actually there, and give you a written price before any work starts.

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