Knocked out my first full flue reline in under 4 hours today

Been doing chimney work for about 3 years now, mostly just basic sweeps and minor repairs. But last month a customer on Maple Drive needed a full stainless steel liner replacement because their old clay tiles were all cracked up. The owner handed me the job and said take your time, but I wanted to prove myself. Spent a whole Saturday watching a guy on YouTube explain how to thread the liner and pack the insulation right. Today I showed up at 7am and had everything buttoned up by 10:45. The homeowner even offered me coffee and said she'd recommend me to her neighbors. Felt good to finish something that big without messing up the damper or denting the cap. Has anyone else had that moment where a job just clicks and you feel like you actually know what you're doing?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ben21d ago

That coffee offer really is the ultimate compliment, isn't it? And @park.riley, prepping the night before is a game changer, I started doing that after my first reline took forever digging for tools. Its crazy how much smoother everything goes when you're not racing the clock from the very start.

park.riley21d ago

That coffee offer is always the real sign you nailed it lol. One thing that helped me get faster on those relines was prepping all my drop cloths and tools the night before, so I'm not fumbling around in the morning trying to find insulation tape. Also, if you haven't already, grab a set of those magnetic liner guides. They save you ten minutes of wrestling the rope around every single time.