Flue relining
Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Gelco Flue Liner Replacement: The Miami Owner’s Guide
We stock and install Gelco flue liner replacement and compatible aftermarket sections in Miami, with most complete liner replacements running between $2,100 and $4,800 installed depending on length, diameter, and how much of the existing liner has to come out. If we confirm the failure on a morning inspection, we can usually have the new liner in place that same day or the next. Most Miami homeowners find out their Gelco liner has failed two ways: a Level 2 camera inspection after years of use, or the smell of fireplace exhaust drifting back into the living room even with the damper open.
Gelco makes a solid stainless steel liner, but nothing lasts forever in a salt-air coastal climate. The humidity and the corrosive marine atmosphere in Miami work on stainless steel differently than dry inland air. We’ll explain exactly what fails and what it costs to make it right, with a written price before we touch anything.
Which Gelco Models This Applies To
Gelco liners come in two primary configurations: 316L stainless steel (the higher-grade alloy used for gas and oil flue applications) and 304 stainless steel (often specified for wood-burning fireplaces and stoves). Both are flexible corrugated tubes that run the full height of your chimney and connect to the appliance at the bottom and a termination cap at the top.
The critical compatibility detail with Gelco is diameter matching. Gelco liners are manufactured in 4-inch through 12-inch diameters, in half-inch increments for the smaller sizes. If you replace a 6-inch Gelco liner with a 6.25-inch aftermarket section, you create a weak point at the coupler that can separate under thermal expansion. When we do a replacement, we measure the inside diameter at three points along the chimney before we order or cut anything.
One gotcha we run into often in Miami: Gelco’s earlier liner generations used a smooth-wall coupler while the current production uses a corrugated coupler with a compression band. Mixing generations without the right adapter causes exhaust leakage at the joint. We carry the adapters on the truck.
Ashby Chimney Miami is an independent service provider. We’re not affiliated with Gelco, but we work with their liners and components daily, alongside DuraFlex and HeatShield for applications where a different manufacturer’s section is a better match.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Gelco Flue Liner Replacement Is Failing
- Exhaust smell in the home with the damper open. A breach in the liner lets combustion gases escape into the chimney cavity instead of venting out the top. This is the most common first symptom and it should not be ignored.
- Visible rust staining on the exterior chimney or ceiling near the flue. When a stainless liner perforates, moisture that condenses inside the flue now migrates through the masonry. In Miami’s humidity, this shows up as a rust-colored bloom.
- White or green corrosion spots on the liner visible from the top. Salt-laden marine air in Miami accelerates pitting on stainless steel. If you see chalky white deposits or greenish spotting on the liner crown, the metal is actively degrading.
- Chunks of clay tile or metal flakes in the fireplace or at the cleanout door. An older liner often fails alongside the surrounding clay tile. When you find debris, the inner liner has likely separated or collapsed somewhere in the run.
- Pilot light keeps going out on a gas fireplace. A cracked or corroded liner interrupts the proper draft. Without consistent draft, the pilot light starves for oxygen and extinguishes itself.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Miami, a complete Gelco flue liner replacement typically runs between $2,100 and $4,800 installed. The range depends on the chimney height, liner diameter, and whether we’re also replacing the termination cap, the top plate, and the connector at the appliance. A straightforward 6-inch by 25-foot replacement on a single-story home in Kendall or Palmetto Bay lands at the lower end. A 35-foot run with a corroded top plate and a custom cap in Coconut Grove or Coral Gables trends toward the higher end.
Here’s how the pricing breaks down:
- Liner material (Gelco or equivalent 316L): $45 – $75 per foot depending on diameter
- Termination cap and top plate: $180 – $420
- Appliance connector and adapter: $90 – $190
- Full removal of the failed liner: $350 – $650 depending on condition
- Installation labor: $650 – $1,200 depending on roof access and chimney height
Every replacement we do includes camera inspection before and after, so you see the failed liner for yourself and then see the completed installation. No recommendations without evidence. The Kingswell Guarantee covers the replacement liner for one year after installation. If it fails inside that period, we return and correct it at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s written on the invoice we hand you before any work begins.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterDIY or Call Us?
You can safely inspect the top of your chimney from the ground with binoculars, and you can shine a flashlight up the flue from the fireplace to look for obvious corrosion. What you should not do is remove or replace a flue liner yourself. This is roof work on an active venting system, and the consequences of an improper installation include carbon monoxide entering your home, which you won’t smell until it’s already a problem. A liner that separates mid-run or isn’t properly connected at the appliance won’t just perform poorly; it creates a direct path for exhaust gases into your living space.
We remove and install liners with proper fall protection, the right connectors, and a camera to verify every joint. If you’re seeing signs of failure, call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll walk you through what we’d look at first. Tell me the price first, then explain the work: everything else is just noise. We’ll quote the inspection before we arrive, and you’ll know the replacement number before any material gets ordered.
FAQs
A 316L stainless Gelco liner in Miami typically lasts 15 to 20 years before pitting and corrosion become a structural concern, though wood-burning fireplaces without regular sweeping can shorten that to 10 to 12 years due to creosote acidity. The salt-heavy coastal air in neighborhoods like Brickell, Edgewater, and Key Biscayne accelerates corrosion on the crown and the upper liner sections, but the lower sections usually remain intact. Regular camera inspection every two years is the only reliable way to know where your liner sits in that lifespan. Call (850) 787-8597 to schedule one – the estimate for the inspection itself is free.
If the damage is isolated to a single pinhole or a short section near the top, we can sometimes install a Gelco coupler splice and extend the service life, but most failures we see in Miami involve multiple perforation sites or corrosion along a seam. The honest answer is that a patch only makes sense when the surrounding liner metal still measures close to original thickness, and in the humid coastal environment here, that’s rare past the 15-year mark. We’ll show you the camera footage either way so you can see what we’re seeing before you decide. Call (850) 787-8597 and we’ll set up the inspection.
A straightforward Gelco flue liner replacement takes one day for a single-story home and typically a day and a half when roof access is tight or the old liner has to be cut into sections for removal. We complete most Miami replacements without anyone needing to be home beyond the initial confirmation of the fireplace location and a final walkthrough. The camera verification before and after is included, so you’ll have photo evidence of the completed work inside the flue.
We stock Gelco-compatible 316L liners in 5.5-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch diameters on our service vehicles, along with connectors, adapters, top plates, and caps to complete most Miami replacements without a return trip. Less common diameters or longer runs are ordered from our supplier and typically arrive within 24 hours. If your chimney needs a size we don’t carry, we’ll tell you directly and give you the arrival timeline in writing before any work starts. Call (850) 787-8597 for a free estimate and same-day assessment when possible.
Call Ashby Chimney Miami for Gelco Flue Liner Replacement
Nathan Corliss and our crew have worked South Florida chimneys long enough to know what a humid coastal environment does to flue liners. We’ve seen older estate homes in Coral Gables, newer construction in Brickell, and everything in between. Every job gets a written price before work begins, a written guarantee when it’s done, and a phone number answered by a real person any hour of the day. Call (850) 787-8597 for a free replacement estimate.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner & Lead Chimney Technician, Ashby Chimney Miami at Ashby Chimney Miami, serving Miami and nearby areas.