Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Nationwide

Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild in New York City: What to Know First

We repair and rebuild Famco chimney liners across New York City, with most liner replacements completed in one day and full rebuilds scheduled within two weeks. A standard Famco stainless steel liner replacement in the five boroughs runs $2,800 to $6,400 depending on flue height and access, and a full rebuild starts around $8,000. We give you a written price before any work begins, and the camera inspection that tells us what’s actually wrong is included in the visit.

Call (980) 580-8641

This page is for homeowners in New York City who have a Famco liner or Famco-installed chimney system and need an honest assessment of whether it can be repaired or needs replacement. If you’re seeing flue deterioration, hearing unusual drafting, or just got a flagged inspection from a home sale, call (980) 580-8641 and we’ll schedule a Level 2 camera inspection. Corrine Halstead runs our New York City operation, and she’s the one who will walk you through the footage.

How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them

• Famco flexible stainless liners develop pinhole corrosion at the corrugation valleys. This is the failure we see most in New York City, especially in buildings within three miles of the harbor where salt air accelerates the process. The liner looks intact from the top, but the camera reveals light through the walls in a pattern that follows the ribs. We replace these with a properly sized new liner rather than patching, because once pinholes start, the metal around them is already thinned.
• The Famco rigid liner sections separate at the slip joints when the chimney shifts. Older New York City homes settle, and brownstones in particular move more than people expect. The slip joints on rigid Famco sections are designed to allow expansion, but years of heating and cooling cycles combined with building movement can pull them apart, leaving gaps where flue gases escape into the chimney chase. Our fix is a full inspection of every joint, resecuring what’s sound and replacing sections that have warped.
• Galvanized Famco caps and tops corrode at the fasteners first. The stainless body holds up, but the screws and clips are the weak point. We see this constantly on Manhattan rooftops where rain and snow sit on the cap through winter. The fix is straightforward: we replace the fasteners with matching stainless hardware and, in exposed locations, upgrade to a heavier cap that sheds water instead of collecting it.
• Famco clay tile replacements installed in the 1990s are reaching the end of their service life. Many New York City homes received Famco clay liners during the renovation boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Thirty-plus years of New York heating seasons have left these tiles spalled, cracked, or shifted. When we find this, the conversation is honest: clay has served its time, and a stainless liner or HeatShield resurfacing is the real fix.
• The original Famco liner is often undersized for the newer heating appliance. This is the problem nobody warns you about. Homeowners replace an old boiler with a modern high-efficiency unit, and the exhaust temperature drops. The old Famco liner, sized for a hot-running furnace, now runs too cool and doesn’t draft properly. Creosote or condensation builds up. We resolve this by resizing the liner to match the actual appliance, not what was there in 1988.

Our Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process

1. 1
   You call (980) 580-8641, a live person answers, and we book a date. We text you when the technician is on the way.
2. 2
   We run a Level 2 camera inspection down the full length of the flue, whether it’s a Famco liner or something we’re still identifying. You see the footage right then.
3. 3
   We write up the scope: what’s damaged, what can stay, what needs replacement. If it’s a Famco liner that can be saved with a targeted repair, we say that. If it’s done, we say that too. You get a written price before anything starts, per Clause 1 of the Haven Standard.
4. 4
   Parts decision: we’ll use a genuine Famco replacement where it makes sense, and a quality aftermarket equivalent like DuraFlex, HeatShield, or Gelco where it serves you better. The warranty on the work is the same, and we explain the trade-off before you spend anything.
5. 5
   We do the repair or rebuild, then run the camera again to document the finished result. You receive a photo record of the entire job under Clause 4 of the Haven Standard, same as on every one of our 38,000-plus inspections since 2009.
6. 6
   We leave the job site clean, hand you the written scope, photo record, and written warranty, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise applies: if it’s not done right, we make it right.

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What Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in New York City

Here’s what we quote for the most common Famco scenarios in New York City. These are ballpark ranges in writing, not estimates pulled from the air:

• Famco liner inspection with camera: Included in the service visit
• Targeted Famco liner repair (joint resecuring, fastener replacement): $400-$900
• Famco stainless steel liner replacement, single-story flue: $2,800-$4,200
• Famco liner replacement, three-story or taller: $4,500-$6,400
• Partial chimney rebuild (crown, top courses, cap): $3,500-$7,000
• Full chimney rebuild from the roofline up: $8,000-$15,000+

What moves the number: roof access (Manhattan brownstone with a roof deck costs more than a Queens detached home), flue height, whether we need a lift for materials, and whether the existing Famco liner can be reused as a chase for the new one. Every quote comes with a written scope and a written warranty before work starts. Call (980) 580-8641 for an exact number.

Why New York City Homeowners Call Emberly Chimney Cleaners for Famco Work

We’ve been running camera-scan inspections as standard practice since 2009, before insurers or code officials made it the expectation. That’s Clause 4 of the Haven Standard, and it means you’ll see the proof of whatever we recommend. We work on Famco systems often enough to know their failure patterns, but we also stock and service DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco, so we’re never pushing you toward one brand because it’s all we carry. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and the license number is on the page when you book.

If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it in. We’ll give you a free second opinion. That’s built into how we work. The camera doesn’t soften what it finds, and neither do we, but you’ll never wonder if you were sold something you didn’t need.

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