Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Nationwide

Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild in Charlottesville: What to Know First

We provide independent Famco chimney liner and rebuild work across Charlottesville, with most liner replacements completed in a single day and full rebuilds typically running three to five days depending on access and weather. Pricing is honest and upfront: you’ll know the number before a single tool comes off the truck, and the number on the invoice will match. As an independent Famco service provider, we are not authorized by or affiliated with Famco, but we have installed, repaired, and rebuilt enough of their liners in homes from Fry’s Spring to Woolen Mills to know exactly how they behave in this climate.

Call (540) 503-3890

If you own a Famco liner and something is not right, call (540) 503-3890 and talk to a live person. It may well be Wendell himself.

How Famco Products Fail - and How We Fix Them

Famco builds a solid liner, but nothing lasts forever, especially in central Virginia where freeze-thaw cycles work on mortar and metal year after year. Here is what we actually see on Famco jobs in Charlottesville:

• Flexible liner kinking in offset flues. In older Charlottesville homes, especially the brick colonials behind the Downtown Mall, flues take odd angles. A Famco flex liner installed through a tight offset can kink at the bend, restricting draft and trapping creosote. We see this on the Famco 316Ti series regularly. The fix is usually a re-pull with proper framing at the offset, not a whole new liner.
• Pitting at the first flue tile joint above the throat. This is the spot where hot gases hit turbulence. Famco 304 stainless holds up well, but after fifteen-plus years, we have seen pitting right where the liner meets the first clay tile. A camera inspection shows it clearly. Depending on depth, we can sometimes sleeve just the firebox-to-first-tile section; other times a full liner replacement is the honest call.
• Dripping at the top plate after a hard rain. Famco top plates seal well when installed correctly, but Charlottesville gets real wind-driven rain. If the top plate was never bedded in high-temp silicone or the crown has settled, water works its way down the outside of the liner and you get water in the firebox. We fix it with a proper crown seal and re-bedding, not by selling you a liner you may not need.
• Loose or missing rain cap on Famco locking caps. The Famco locking cap system is good, but the set screws can back out over years of heat cycling. A loose cap rattles in wind and eventually ends up in the yard. We check every cap on every service call, not just the liner, because a missing cap means rain, birds, and squirrels have an open door.
• Corrosion at the appliance connector for furnace flues. Famco makes a lot of liners that vent gas furnaces and boilers, not just fireplaces. In Charlottesville’s humid summers, we see corrosion at the connector where the liner meets the appliance collar, especially on older forced-air systems in basements. That connector is a wear item. We keep quality aftermarket connectors on the truck that fit Famco liners, so you’re not waiting on a special order.

Our Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Process

Here is how a Famco job goes at Top Hat Chimney, from the first phone call to the final look:

1. 1
   You call, a person answers. That person takes your address, asks what you’re seeing or hearing, and schedules a time. No phone tree, no holding music that loops for twenty minutes.
2. 2
   Wendell or a background-checked crew member arrives in uniform, gives you a real arrival window, and calls if it slips. When he shows up, he will not rush. He will want to know what you have noticed, then he will look for himself.
3. 3
   Camera inspection before anything else. The camera goes down or up the flue and you see the footage on the spot. Nothing gets recommended without camera evidence you can see with your own eyes. If the liner is fine, you will hear it plainly. If it does not need doing, Wendell will tell you.
4. 4
   Parts decision, made with you. We use OEM Famco parts where they matter and the warranty needs protecting, and quality aftermarket parts where they perform just as well and save you real money. We explain the trade-off in plain English and let you choose.
5. 5
   The repair or rebuild, done right. Liner replacements are usually a same-day job. Full rebuilds take a few days. We protect your floors, clean up after ourselves, and leave the fireplace ready to use.
6. 6
   Final test and the 90-Day Done Right Promise. We verify draft, check the cap and crown, and hand you the paperwork. The promise is in writing on every job: if it is not done right, one call brings Wendell back at no additional cost.

Call (540) 503-3890 to schedule your Famco inspection. Estimates are free.

What Famco Chimney Liner & Rebuild Costs in Charlottesville

Straight numbers, the way we like them. A Famco flexible liner replacement on a single-story chimney in Charlottesville commonly falls in the $1,800 to $2,800 range, including the liner, top plate, rain cap, and installation labor. Two-story runs, difficult roof access, or liners that need a full teardown to extract run to the $2,800 to $3,500 range. A full chimney rebuild, where we take the stack down to the roofline and rebuild brick by brick, typically runs $4,000 to $9,000 depending on height, access, and the condition of the existing firebox. Partial rebuilds of just the crown and top few courses are usually $900 to $2,200.

What moves the price: roof pitch, chimney height, whether scaffolding is needed, and whether the old liner will actually come out without a fight. We quote the real number up front, before work starts. Call (540) 503-3890 for a free estimate on any Famco liner or rebuild in Charlottesville.

Why Charlottesville Homeowners Call Top Hat Chimney for Famco Work

We have been doing this since 1999, long enough that Wendell can tell you what is wrong with a flue before the camera even goes in. When a Charlottesville homeowner has a Famco liner that needs replacing or a chimney that needs rebuilding, they get a locally owned, owner-operated company with a published address and license number, not a franchise that rotated in last spring. The same person answers the phone every time. The same crew shows up. And the 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every job: if it is not right, one call brings Wendell back.

We also work with other trusted brands: DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Gelco. If the honest answer is that your chimney would be better served by a different liner system than what Famco currently offers, we will tell you that too and explain why. A flue is a flue, but the right liner for your fireplace, your furnace, and your roof profile matters more than a brand sticker.

FAQs

Contact Top Hat Chimney

If your Famco liner is acting up or your chimney is showing cracks, crumbling brick, or water stains, call (540) 503-3890 today. We will answer, set a time that works, and send someone who knows Famco liners and Charlottesville chimneys. Free estimates, straight answers, and the number on the phone is the number on the invoice. We would rather tell you the job does not need doing than sell you one that does.

Written by Wendell Pike, Owner, Top Hat Chimney, serving Charlottesville and nearby areas since 1999.