Famco Flue Liner Replacement Nationwide

Famco Flue Liner Replacement: The Hempstead Owner’s Guide

A Famco flue liner replacement in Hempstead typically runs $1,800 to $4,200 installed, depending on the liner diameter, chimney height, and whether we’re pulling a damaged section or replacing the full run. We stock Famco-compatible stainless steel liners on the truck, so in most cases we can measure, quote, and complete the job the same day we arrive. Most Hempstead homeowners discover the problem the same way: rust flakes in the firebox, a faint smoky smell that won’t clear, or a camera inspection from another company showing cracks and pinholes in the old liner. If your Famco liner is showing its age, the fix is straightforward, but it has to be matched correctly.

Call (516) 963-1068

Your flue doesn’t care how the fire looks. It cares how it breathes. And a liner with a split seam or a rusted-through section isn’t breathing safely anymore.

Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco makes flexible stainless steel chimney liners in two main grades: 316L and 304. The 316L is the one you want in Nassau County, because it holds up better against the acidic condensation that oil and gas appliances produce, and it resists the salt air that drifts in from the south shore. If your liner was installed more than 15 years ago, chances are it’s 304, and that’s exactly why it’s failing now. We see it all over Hempstead, especially in the older housing stock near Hofstra University where furnaces and water heaters vent through the same flue year-round.

Famco liners come in diameters from 4 inches up to 12 inches, in standard 25-foot and 35-foot coils. The compatibility gotcha most people miss: the liner diameter has to match the appliance BTU output and the existing flue tile size. A 6-inch liner inside a 7-inch flue is fine. A 6-inch liner jammed into a 5.5-inch clay tile is not. We measure the actual flue ID with a camera before we quote anything, because guessing wrong means a liner that won’t fit or won’t draft. Top Hat Chimney is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Famco, but we’ve installed and replaced enough of their liners to know which models pair with which appliances. We also keep quality equivalents from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco on hand when a Famco-specific part isn’t the smartest money.

Signs Your Famco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing

• Rust flakes or metallic dust in the firebox. The stainless steel is degrading from the inside out, usually from acidic condensate. By the time you see flakes, the liner wall is already thin in multiple spots.
• A smell like damp metal or sulfur near the fireplace, even when it’s cold. That’s flue gas leaking backward through pinholes and condensing inside the chimney chase. The liner isn’t containing the exhaust anymore.
• Visible cracks, gaps, or separation at the liner seams. Flexible liners develop fatigue at the corrugation points after years of expansion and contraction. Hempstead’s freeze-thaw cycles accelerate this.
• Water staining on the ceiling or walls near the chimney. A compromised liner lets flue gas condense and soak into surrounding masonry. The chimney is sweating from the inside.
• Your carbon monoxide detector goes off intermittently during heating season. This is the one that matters most. Don’t reset it and forget it. A failing liner is the most common cause of CO backdrafting we find in Hempstead homes.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

Here’s what we quote in Hempstead, and we stick to the number before a single tool comes off the truck.

That price includes the liner, the top plate and rain cap, the connector at the appliance, insulation wrap where the flue tile clearance requires it, and full cleanup. What drives the range in Hempstead is chimney height, roof pitch, and whether we’re working around an existing crown that needs repair. Every job comes with our 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing: if the liner isn’t drafting right, one call brings Wendell and the crew back at no additional cost.

DIY or Call Us?

You can safely check a few things yourself: look for rust flakes in the firebox, shine a flashlight up from the cleanout door, and note any new water stains near the chimney. That’s about where it should stop. Pulling a liner and feeding a new one means working on the roof, often on a steep Nassau County pitch, and it means handling a 25-foot section of stainless steel that wants to kink if you breathe on it wrong. A kinked liner is scrap. We’ve been called out more than once to fix a DIY liner job where the homeowner bought the right part and still ended up with a 6-inch oval instead of a round flue.

If it doesn’t need doing, I’ll tell you. But if you’re seeing rust or smelling flue gas, this one needs eyes on it. Call (516) 963-1068 and we’ll send somebody out who’s done this on Hempstead rooftops for decades.

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