Level 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.
Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Southampton: What to Know First
We provide independent Famco chimney liner and rebuild service throughout Southampton, with most liner replacements and partial rebuilds completed in a single visit. Our Level-2 camera inspection comes first, so you see exactly what we see before any work is approved. Typical Famco liner jobs in Southampton run from the mid-hundreds for a straightforward flexible liner swap to several thousand for a full rebuild with stainless steel replacement.
This page is for Famco owners in Southampton Village, North Sea, and the surrounding hamlets who have been told they need liner work and want a second opinion they can verify with their own eyes. If that sounds like your situation, call us at (516) 619-2915. A live person answers, 24 hours a day.
How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them
- Famco 316Ti flexible liners in salt-air exposure. The titanium-stabilized alloy resists acid well, but we’ve found the outer wall can develop pinpoint corrosion faster than expected in Southampton’s coastal environment, especially on ocean-facing exposures in areas like Meadow Lane. We pull a camera section by section, and if the damage is localized, we sleeve that run rather than replace the full liner.
- Famco rigid 304 stainless tees and connectors. The tee body on older rigid installations tends to collect acidic condensation at the shoulder joint, particularly where a fireplace insert was added later and the draft runs cooler. We see this often in the 1980s-era colonials off Jobs Lane. Our fix is a custom-fabricated replacement tee in 316L, with a condensate drain if the appliance setup allows it.
- Famco top-sealing dampers integrated with liner tops. The cable-housing seal degrades after 12-15 years, letting rain track down the flue and stain the smoke chamber. Homeowners often think they need a full liner replacement when it’s really a $400-600 damper rebuild. We separate the two issues on camera before quoting anything.
- Famco smooth-wall liners with improper slope on horizontal runs. Factory spec calls for 1/4 inch per foot minimum, but we’ve found Southampton installations from the 1990s where the run was dead-level to accommodate a low hearth. Condensate pools, accelerates metal fatigue, and can leak into the surrounding masonry. We correct the slope and add a drain assembly when the chimney structure permits.
- Famco liner-to-appliance connections on oil-to-gas conversions. The original Famco liner was sized for oil flue gases, which run hotter and wetter. After a gas conversion, the lower exhaust temperature changes the draft pattern and can cause the liner to sweat from the outside in. We see this in older Southampton homes that switched to propane or natural gas in the last decade. The solution is usually a smaller-diameter liner or an insulated model, not a patch.
Our Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process
- 1
Call and schedule. A live person answers, day or night. We book a Level-2 inspection with camera, not a sales visit.
- 2
Camera inspection and documentation. Our technician runs a high-resolution camera the full length of your Famco liner, photographs every joint, tee, and transition, and records the findings. You get the photos and a plain-English verdict before any work is discussed.
- 3
Parts decision: OEM Famco versus quality aftermarket. If Famco still produces the exact component, we quote it. If the line is discontinued or the OEM lead time exceeds two weeks, we specify equivalent-grade aftermarket from DuraFlex, HeatShield, or Gelco, with full disclosure in writing. We do not substitute builder-grade materials.
- 4
The repair or rebuild. Background-checked, uniformed technicians complete most Famco liner replacements and partial rebuilds in a single visit. Full chimney rebuilds may require a second day for curing.
- 5
Post-repair test and documentation. We run a final camera pass, perform a smoke or pressure test as appropriate, and provide a written report with photos of the completed work.
- 6
The 90-Day Done Right Promise. If anything about the job is not right, we make it right. In writing. No paperwork to dig up, no arguing.
What Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in Southampton
| Service | Typical Range in Southampton |
|---|---|
| Famco liner inspection with camera | $249 - $349 |
| Partial Famco liner repair (localized sleeve or tee) | $650 - $1,400 |
| Full Famco flexible liner replacement, single flue | $1,800 - $3,200 |
| Famco rigid liner replacement with custom fittings | $2,800 - $4,500 |
| Partial chimney rebuild with new Famco liner | $4,500 - $7,500 |
| Full chimney rebuild with stainless steel liner system | $8,500 - $14,000 |
What moves the price: accessibility of the flue (steep roof pitch, tight chase), whether the original Famco liner is cemented in place from a previous “slip lining,” and the condition of the surrounding masonry after Southampton’s freeze-thaw cycles. We give you the full number upfront. The estimate is the invoice.
Call (516) 619-2915 for a free, no-obligation estimate. We’ll inspect first, explain what we found, and let you decide.
Why Southampton Homeowners Call Hearthstone Chimney Co. for Famco Work
We’ve been sweeping and rebuilding chimneys in Southampton since long before the current building boom, and we’ve worked on Famco products in this market for over two decades. Russell Haines and our crew know which Famco series were sold through which local distributors in the 1990s and 2000s, and that matters when you’re trying to match a discontinued part or verify whether a liner was properly listed for the appliance it’s connected to.
Our 90-Day Done Right Promise is backed in writing, not a handshake. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and most Famco liner jobs finish in one visit. When Famco OEM parts are back-ordered, we have established relationships with DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco to keep your project moving without downgrading the material. And a live person answers our phone every hour of every day, because chimney problems don’t wait for business hours.
A clean flue does the talking - you just need a warm fire to hear it.
FAQs
Famco warranties on materials are typically handled through the original installing dealer or the manufacturer directly, not through independent service providers. As an independent Famco service provider, we document our work with photos and written reports that support any warranty claim you choose to file. We do not represent Famco or guarantee their warranty decisions. Call (516) 619-2915 if you’d like us to review your original paperwork during the inspection.
Most full Famco flexible liner replacements are completed in four to six hours. Rigid liner systems or jobs requiring masonry repair may extend to a full day. We confirm the expected duration when we provide your upfront estimate, and we do not leave a job half-finished unless weather or curing time requires it.
We repair Famco liners when the damage is localized and the surrounding system is sound. A cracked tee, a failed top-sealing damper, or a short section of corroded flex can often be addressed without pulling the full run. We make that determination with camera evidence you can see, not a sales pitch. If the liner has multiple failure points, has been patched before, or no longer meets current code for your appliance, we’ll tell you that plainly and explain why replacement is the safer path.
We carry common Famco fittings and liner diameters on our trucks, and our Southampton warehouse stocks DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco equivalents for same-day substitution when appropriate. If your job requires a Famco-specific component we do not have in stock, we quote the lead time upfront and give you the option to proceed with a quality aftermarket alternative that meets or exceeds the original specification.
The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual Level-1 inspection for all chimney systems, and we agree for Famco liners given Southampton’s coastal salt air and the freeze-thaw stress on masonry. If you burn wood regularly, a Level-2 camera inspection every two to three years catches liner degradation before it becomes a safety issue. Our $89 Seasonal Tune-Up includes a basic inspection and cleaning. Call (516) 619-2915 to schedule.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner, Hearthstone Chimney Co. at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Southampton and nearby areas.





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