Famco Flue Liner Replacement Nationwide

Famco Flue Liner Replacement: The Greenwich Owner’s Guide

A Famco flue liner replacement in Greenwich typically runs $2,400 to $4,800 installed, depending on liner length, diameter, and whether we’re dealing with a straight drop or offsets. We stock Famco-compatible stainless liners in the sizes Greenwich homes actually use - 6″, 7″, and 8″ diameters, in 25′ and 35′ kits - and most replacements are done in a single visit. The way owners usually find us: they had a Level 2 inspection after years of assuming the liner was fine, and the camera came back showing pinholes, seam separation, or rust-through at the first elbow. Corrine Halstead has seen enough of these to say it plainly: by the time a Famco liner shows visible damage from the fireplace side, it’s been failing for at least two seasons.

Call (516) 399-5497

Here’s the part most Greenwich homeowners don’t expect: we’re an independent service provider, not a Famco dealer. That works in your favor. We buy direct through Haven’s purchasing network and pass the savings along, so you get a liner that meets or exceeds the original Famco spec without paying a brand markup. Clause 1 of the Haven Standard means you get the written price before anyone touches your chimney - liner, labor, cleanup, the whole number on one page.

Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco’s residential liners have shipped under a few series names over the years, and the compatibility question trips up more Greenwich homeowners than it should. The most common lines we replace are the Famco Flex 316 and Flex 316Ti series, plus the older SmoothWall rigid sections found in some 1980s and early 1990s installs around town. If your liner says “Famco” on the tag but you can’t find a series name, check the appliance connector plate - it lists the liner diameter and often the original install date.

The real compatibility gotcha here: Famco’s early SmoothWall rigid pipe used a proprietary locking tab that doesn’t mate with current flexible liner systems. So if your chimney has rigid Famco sections and the failure is at a seam, you’re not swapping one section - you’re converting the whole run to flexible 316Ti or 316L. We explain that before quoting. For flexible Famco systems, the standard aftermarket fix is a DuraFlex 316Ti liner, which is dimensionally identical and carries a transferable lifetime warranty against rust-through. HeatShield and Gelco make equivalent products; we quote what fits your chimney, not what’s in the back of the truck.

In Fairfield County we see one failure mode more than any other, and it’s not what the marketing brochures warn about. It’s not the liner body rusting through - it’s the seam welds on the flex liner failing from moisture cycling. Greenwich’s coastal air and hard freeze-thaw winters push condensation into those seams, and after fifteen or twenty years, they split. The liner looks serviceable from the top; the camera says otherwise.

Signs Your Famco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing

• Rust streaks or staining on the chimney exterior. Moisture is breaching the liner and wicking through the masonry. On older Greenwich colonials, this shows up as iron-colored stains near the roofline in spring.
• A sulfur or metallic smell after fires. Flue gases are back-drafting into the house through liner gaps. This is a carbon monoxide risk, not just an annoyance - stop using the fireplace and call (516) 399-5497.
• Flakes of metal or scale in the firebox. The liner’s interior wall is delaminating. These flakes are often sharp and sometimes mistaken for ash; if you can pick them up, it’s liner material.
• Visible gaps at the liner seams when viewed from the top. A flashlight from above on a dry day will show daylight through failed welds on a Famco flex liner.
• Water in the firebox after heavy rain. The liner is breached and the chimney cap is doing the only work left. If you see this in a Greenwich winter, the freeze-thaw damage compounds fast.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

Greenwich prices break down like this:

• Single-story straight flue, 25′ flexible 316Ti liner: $2,400-$3,100
• Two-story with one offset, 25’-35′ liner: $3,200-$4,200
• Full rigid-conversion from old Famco SmoothWall, including new top plate and cap: $3,800-$4,800
• Chimney crown repair or new cap, added to any replacement: $450-$900

Every quote includes the liner, top plate, cap, insulation wrap where required, the full install, cleanup, and a documented photo record of the new liner from top and bottom - Clause 4 of the Haven Standard applies to replacements, not just inspections. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the work. If it’s not installed right, we return and make it right.

What drives the range? Liner height, chimney access (roof pitch matters on Greenwich’s steeper properties), whether the old Famco liner needs to be extracted in pieces, and whether the crown or cap is also at end of life. We write it all down before we begin.

DIY or Call Us?

We’re not going to tell you a Famco liner replacement is impossible to do yourself - it’s physically possible, and YouTube exists. But here’s the honest version: this is roof work with a 25-foot length of rigid stainless steel, a liner that needs to clear offsets and elbows, and a top plate that has to seal perfectly or you’ve installed a $2,500 rain funnel. One wrong foot on a wet Greenwich shake roof and you’re in the emergency room. We wear the harnesses and carry the insurance. You’ll still save money if you want to remove the old liner yourself, but the fall risk outranks the savings on most Fairfield County homes. Call (516) 399-5497 and we’ll walk you through what’s actually involved before you decide.

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