Chimney Liner & Relining in Ann Arbor
Older homes here were often built without one at all
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4.9 · 1,066 Ann Arbor reviews
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CSIA certified
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Installed to code
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1-year workmanship warranty
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Santa’s favorite chimney crew
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Cleared for reindeer landing
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No soot on Santa’s boots
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Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
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Stockings hung, flues swept
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Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
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Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
●
Santa’s favorite chimney crew
●
Cleared for reindeer landing
●
No soot on Santa’s boots
●
Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer
●
Stockings hung, flues swept
●
Merry Christmas & happy hearth-days
●
Jingle all the way up the chimney
●
Warm fires, cozy nights
Pricing, before you commit
Our prices are published, not hidden
Want to know the cost before anyone visits your Ann Arbor home? Our chimney liner pricing page works out an estimate from your appliance, your chimney's height and roof access. No email, no callback.
The craft, done properly
CHIMNEY LINER & RELINING IN ANN ARBOR, MI
The liner is the continuous surface inside your flue. It contains heat and combustion gases so they never reach the surrounding masonry and framing, gives the flue the correct diameter for the appliance so it drafts properly, and protects the brick from the acidic byproducts of combustion. A cracked, gapped, or missing liner means heat and gases are reaching material never meant to take them.
Ann Arbor's older housing stock makes this a live question. A great many pre-1950 homes near campus and through the older neighbourhoods were built with unlined masonry flues, and plenty of them are still in use. Where clay tile is present, decades of Michigan freeze-thaw and heat cycling crack it. Material is a code requirement, not a preference: wood-burning systems get 316L stainless only, gas appliances can take aluminium. Both installed to code with top plate, cap, connector, and thimble, sized to your appliance. A camera evaluation comes first — see what that costs on the inspection cost calculator.
316L stainless liner run the full flue height — Ann Arbor, MI
The Work
What relining does for an Ann Arbor chimney.
You cannot see a failed liner from the room, and that is exactly the problem. Clay tile cracks from heat cycling, from chimney fires, and from the settlement that a hundred Michigan winters produce. A cracked tile is a gap where combustion gases reach masonry and framing, and there is no symptom in the living room until there is one. A camera run is the only honest way to know.
Relining is also what makes an appliance upgrade possible: a modern insert needs a correctly sized liner running the full flue height, which is why it is part of every Ann Arbor fireplace installation we quote. On exterior chimneys — common on the older Ann Arbor stock — we will offer an insulation wrap and price it separately, because a cold flue on a Michigan January night condenses instead of drafting.
We reline chimneys throughout Washtenaw County and in Brighton and Northville. See the local service list on the Ann Arbor page.
When to book
When does an Ann Arbor chimney need relining?
Liner failure is invisible from inside the house, so most of these signals arrive through an inspection rather than through the fireplace. These are the situations that call for a camera evaluation.
You've had a chimney fire — heat almost always damages tile liners
A camera inspection found cracked, gapped, or missing flue tiles
You're switching fuel type — wood to gas, or gas to wood
You're installing an insert or a new appliance
The chimney has no liner at all, common in pre-1950 Ann Arbor homes
Pieces of clay tile are appearing in the firebox
After a chimney fire or a fuel change, a Level 2 camera inspection is the standard — the flue interior has to be seen, not assumed. Book it through Ann Arbor chimney inspection and the finding drives the quote.
What to expect
What happens during a relining?
Relining in Ann Arbor is quoted after the flue is evaluated. Most standard drop-in installations complete in a day; jobs involving clay tile removal or smoke chamber work take longer and are scoped during assessment.
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Assessing the existing flue
The flue is assessed before anything is quoted. Where the interior needs to be seen rather than assumed, a camera inspection is offered as its own line — you'll know the cost before we run it.
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Sizing & material selection
The liner is sized to your appliance and flue. Wood-burning systems get 316L stainless steel only; gas appliances can take aluminum. Code sets that rule, not preference or price.
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Old liner removal
Where a failed liner is already in place, it comes out first — top plate, cap, and full extraction — and the bare flue is re-inspected before anything new goes down.
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New liner installation
The liner runs the full flue height with top plate, cap, appliance connector, and thimble, installed to code. On exterior chimneys and cold climates we'll offer an insulation wrap and price it separately.
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Connection & walkthrough
The appliance connection is completed and the finished installation walked through with you, with the 1-year workmanship warranty on all labor performed.
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A liner fails silently. There's no smell, no smoke, no sign in the room — right up until there is one. That's why we look before we guess.
Company Owner
The Brown Chimney Standard · Ann Arbor
Built for Michigan winters, not brochure weather.
Freeze-thaw is the local enemy
Lake-effect snow sits for weeks, then thaws. That cycle is what cracks Ann Arbor mortar — and what our repairs are specified against.
Code-ready inspections
From older homes near campus to newer builds in Scio and Pittsfield Township, our repairs pass local inspection.
1-year workmanship warranty
The labor on our repairs and installations is covered for a full year — in writing, not in promises.
Price fixed before we start
Measured on site, quoted in writing, approved by you — then the work begins. Never the other way around.
For transparency
What this visit doesn't cover.
The camera evaluation itself — priced as its own line, and credited toward repair work booked within 30 days
Insulation wrap for exterior chimneys — offered on Michigan exterior stacks and priced separately
Smoke chamber parging or crown rebuild, if the evaluation finds they're needed
FAQs
Common questions about chimney liner & relining in Ann Arbor
How do I know if my Ann Arbor chimney needs relining?
Only a camera evaluation of the flue interior can tell you — liner damage is invisible from the room. The common triggers are a chimney fire, a fuel-type change, an appliance upgrade, or an older home with no liner at all, which is common in pre-1950 Ann Arbor housing.
Do older Ann Arbor homes have chimney liners?
Frequently not. A great many pre-1950 homes near campus and in the older neighbourhoods were built with unlined masonry flues, which means combustion gases contact the brick directly. A camera evaluation confirms what is there before any work is quoted.
What kind of liner does my chimney need?
It depends on the fuel, and it is not optional. Wood-burning appliances require 316L stainless steel; gas appliances can use aluminium. Code sets that rule, and the liner is sized to your specific appliance rather than to a standard diameter.
Does an exterior chimney need an insulated liner?
On Michigan exterior stacks it is worth pricing. A liner running up a cold outside wall lets flue gases cool enough to condense, which weakens draft and corrodes the liner. Brown Chimney offers an insulation wrap on exterior chimneys and prices it as its own line.
How long does relining take in Ann Arbor?
A standard drop-in liner installation typically completes in a day. Jobs requiring clay tile removal, smoke chamber work, or a crown rebuild take longer and are scoped during the assessment — the timeline is confirmed in writing with your quote.
Related Services
Related Services
A safer hearth — for 2026
Sized right, code-compliant, documented.
Every Brown Chimney liner in Ann Arbor is sized to your appliance, installed to code, and walked through with you when it's done — with a 1-year workmanship warranty on all labor. Book the evaluation online or call 248-260-5979.
