Famco Flue Liner Replacement Nationwide

Famco Flue Liner Replacement: The Kirkland Owner’s Guide

We stock and install Famco-compatible flue liner replacement in Kirkland, with typical installed pricing running $1,800-$3,400 depending on liner diameter, height, and whether the existing liner is fully collapsed or partially intact. Most Famco replacements we book in Kirkland are completed in a single day, and we carry common diameters on our trucks for homes built between 1975 and 2005. Homeowners usually discover the failure during a routine sweep when our camera shows gaps, corrosion scaling, or a liner that has detached at the thimble, or they notice bits of terracotta flaking into the firebox after a chimney fire they didn’t know they had.

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Which Famco Models This Applies To

Famco manufactured several flue liner series over the decades, and the replacement part you need depends on what was originally installed. The most common we encounter in Kirkland are the Famco 316Ti flexible stainless liners (typically 5.5-inch to 8-inch diameter) and the older Famco rigid 304-grade systems found in pre-1990 brick chimneys around the Juanita Beach and Houghton neighborhoods.

To identify yours, look for the stamped collar band near the top termination or the metal tag at the cleanout tee. The model prefix matters: “FL-” indicates flexible liner, “RL-” rigid. If the tag is corroded off, we measure the inner diameter with a caliper and check the thimble offset. The 316Ti flexible series is still produced; the rigid 304 line was discontinued in the early 2000s. For discontinued rigid systems, we source aftermarket 316Ti flexible equivalents through our Haven buying network that match the original OD and maintain UL 1777 listing. We do not install generic unlisted liner, and we are not affiliated with Famco. We are an independent service provider.

One compatibility gotcha specific to Kirkland’s wet climate: the original Famco 304 rigid liner often shows accelerated intergranular corrosion where condensation collects at the smoke shelf. If your chimney faces west and catches wind-driven rain off Lake Washington, we spec 316Ti or 316L with a higher molybdenum content, not a direct 304 replacement, even if that’s what came out.

Signs Your Famco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing

• Flakes of rust or terracotta in the firebox. This means the liner wall has perforated or the original clay liner behind a failed Famco relining has begun spalling. The debris you see is the chimney’s structural material shedding because exhaust gases are reaching surfaces never meant to handle them.
• Water staining on the ceiling near the chimney breast. A separated Famco liner collar or failed top termination lets rain run down the flue gap, not the liner interior. In Kirkland’s November-to-March wet season, this shows up as a spreading brown ring that reappears after each repair attempt.
• Smoke smell in upstairs rooms when the fireplace is not in use. This indicates a breach in the liner allowing negative pressure in the house to pull flue gases through gaps. The Famco flexible liner is particularly prone to this at the offset bends where it was forced around a smoke chamber shelf.
• White powder (efflorescence) on the exterior brick. Exhaust gases leaking through a perforated Famco liner carry moisture that migrates through the masonry. The salt deposits are a late-stage sign that the liner has been compromised for multiple burning seasons.
• The chimney sweep’s camera shows a “shiner” - light visible through the liner wall. This is the definitive finding. A 316Ti liner should be opaque to the camera light. Pinholes visible during a Level 2 inspection mean the metal has thinned to failure, often at the 10-to-15-year mark in our damp Puget Sound climate.

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Replacement Cost & What’s Included

What drives the range: liner diameter (more stainless steel), total linear feet from firebox to crown, whether the existing liner pulls out cleanly or fragments and requires extraction, and if the thimble needs reworking to accept new collar dimensions. Every quote we deliver in Kirkland is written, line-itemed, and signed before work begins - Haven Standard Clause 1. The liner carries a lifetime warranty against corrosion-through; our labor carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise. Materials are sourced through our Haven buying network from Famco, DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Copperfield specifically to keep customer prices honest.

DIY or Call Us?

Here’s what you can safely check yourself: verify the model tag location, measure your firebox opening, and look for the symptoms above. Do not attempt to pull a failed liner or drop a replacement. A flue liner installation involves working at roof height with proper fall protection, managing sharp stainless edges that will slice through standard gloves, and critically, verifying that the new liner maintains proper clearance to combustibles per NFPA 211 - a measurement that requires dropping a light and camera down the annular space, not eyeballing it.

The camera doesn’t lie, and neither does the invoice. We’ve been called to Kirkland homes where a DIY liner install looked straight from the firebox view but had a three-inch gap behind the smoke chamber that would have ignited framing within two heating seasons. Our crew is background-checked, uniformed, and you’ll get a text when your tech is en route. Call (425) 642-3485 for a written estimate - we also provide free second opinions on any competitor’s written quote.

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