Lining an open fireplace

The Stove & Stone Co. are happy to offer this excellent new system in partnership with P&J Gallagher. We are trained Eldfast installers for the Northwest of England.

Eldfast is a UK manufactured ceramic chimney lining system designed for open and inset fires. Eldfast works by coating the walls of the original brick flue with a wet ceramic / resin mix. This is achieved by lowering a deflated balloon attached to a wire winch down the flue; once at the bottom the balloon is inflated to make a tight seal, the mix is then poured down and the balloon is slowly wound back up by the winch. The pressure from the balloon pushes the mix into any missing mortar and damaged brickwork repairing the flue as it passes.

A great advantage of this system is it can be applied to fireplaces that are already installed, they do not have to be removed from the wall and refitted unlike a stainless steel liner. This saves on mess and the cost of redecorating. Also, unlike a stainless steel liner which is a fixed diameter and would jam when the flue narrows or bends, the balloon can simply be deflated to decrease its size while it passes any obstructions or sharp bands. The qualities of the material not only retain the flue cross section but also strengthen the chimney while helping to improve the draught.

​The name “Eldfast” in Swedish means “Fireproof” or “Incombustible” and this lining system lives up to the name. The strength of the material and resistance to heat and thermal shock makes it the only system on the market that is still guaranteed following a soot / chimney fire.

Although more expensive than some other chimney lining solutions this is a one time solution that will not require relining or repairing for many years to come. (please see the video for more information)

• 25 Year Guarantee

• Guaranteed even after chimney fire 

• Wholly ceramic – non corrosive

• Preserves cross section of the flue

• Suitable for all flue types. 

• 50-60 year life expectancy 

• Improve chimney up draught 

• Provide structural support to chimney

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To reline a flue that accommodates an original open fire, the minimum flue size requires an 8″ liner. However the original brick flue is only 9″ so this leaves very little room to play with. If your chimney stack is on the highest point of your roof (the apex) and has four or five pots sitting together in a row, unfortunately this makes getting an 8″ liner down impossible due to the bend where the stack splits usually in the loft. The flue simply narrows too much to get the minimum sized flue required past this obstruction.

If you have two separate chimney stacks, one half way down the front slope and one on the back slope of your roof, this can be possible due to the chimneys flues being vertical through the house with no sharp bends for the liner to jam at. The image slide shows the process of lining an open fireplace with an 8″ stainless steel flue liner. However if this isn’t possible the new Eldfast flue system which is available is the solution.