Liner cracks question

[Eric Laney]

Stone chimney with clay liners, top 2 liners had a minor vertical crack. Is there a problem, since the cracks are facing the stones and do not lead to the attic space? Seems that any escaping embers would hit the stone masonry and go out. I wrote it up as "don't use until reviewed by chimney repair contractor".

[Scott Patterson]

Stone chimney with clay liners, top 2 liners had a minor vertical crack. Is there a problem, since the cracks are facing the stones and do not lead to the attic space? Seems that any escaping embers would hit the stone masonry and go out. I wrote it up as "don't use until reviewed by chimney repair contractor".

Cracks are not good. You know that the clay tiles did not come with cracks from the manufacturer. The problem will be with water entering the cracks and then into the stone work. Cracks will get bigger, more water and flue gases will enter and it just keeps getting bigger and more expensive to fix.

Think about a crack in a hard boiled egg. It is big when the egg is hot but is shrinks when the egg cools. The same thing is going on with those clay tiles.

I think you did the correct thing deferring to a chimney specialist for repairs.