I just had my fireplace flue cleaned on my recently purchased 50-yr-old house. The service guy told me that the other flue -- the one to my gas burner -- was very damaged and needed to be relined. Is this possible?

The house was converted from oil to gas about 20 years ago, and the gas burner uses the old clay-lined oil flue.

What is the danger if it is really damaged? How much should I expect to pay?

Any direction is appreciated -- this is an area I know very little about.

Thx.

It is almost impossible to tell you over the net because I do not have X ray vision so I can see your problem.. I suggest you get one or two more local evaluations of your problem this way the repair person can actually see what you are talking about. Is it possible you have a problem? Yes it is possible and it can be dangerous because the CO can escape into the house so please have it checked. Flue gas is dangerous and it does kill many people every year.

If you are comfortable on the roof, take a flashlight and a mirror up and take a look yourself. Maybe drop a drop light down it. You see holes or cracks, get some estimates. CO kills. So does falling off a roof. Not everybody should go up on one.

Thanks. I'm in the process of getting estimates, but it's always good to get disinterested advice beforehand.

The second serviceman to give an estimate showed me a pile of clay debris that had fallen inside the draft pipe to the bottom of the flue (near the gas burner). That helped in convincing me.

Labman, no, unfortunately, my roof is far too steep to walk on (10-12/12 pitch).

They're giving me estimates in the 1100-1400 range to re-line with 2x steel lining.