QUESTIONS Do chimneys have to be lined? In Hungary, since 1970, in the case of gas-fired equipment, yes! With the development of chimney technology, gas-tight chimneys are increasingly important. What dangers are involved with a chimney that does not have satisfactory lining? In many cases an unlined chimney can be lethal. Ever year worldwide 1.5 million people die inside buildings from flue gas poisoning. A proportion of these deaths are caused by bad chimneys. Apart from the danger to life, the seepage appearing on the chimney walls is very unpleasant. What does flue gas poisoning mean? Besides carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide is produced if the fuel you are using is not completely burnt. This colourless, odourless gas is very dangerous from two points of view. When mixed with water it forms an acidic liquid, which destroys mortar, concrete, aluminium and even stainless steel on many occasions. In this way cracks are formed in the wall of the chimney. The other source of danger originates from the former. Through the cracks the carbon monoxide can get into the living area, but the people there do not sense it. On being breathed in it paralyses the human body causing serious illness and often even death. Can FuranFlex® help with this? Yes, because it is completely resistant to the acids created in chimneys and also ensures a perfectly gastight chimney, preventing flue gas seeping into the living area from the chimney. All this with a 25-year guarantee. Is Furanflex® more expensive than stainless steel? The final results should be compared, and not the purchase price of the two kinds of lining tube. Furanflex® can be installed in a day, it does not require the demolition of any walls and can be used in chimneys of all sizes and shapes. Disregarding completely straight chimneys of a few metres in length, it is cheaper than all other solutions. The guarantee given for stainless steel tubes is usually 10 years, and for Furanflex® lining tubes 25 years, while they cost nearly the same amount. How "dirty" is the FuranFlex® chimney lining installation process? The process starts with an onsite inspection. If necessary, before installation the chimney will have to be cleaned and prepared. This is required for all types of chimney lining. However, during the installation of FuranFlex® it is not necessary to dismantle any walls, even in the case of chimneys that are not straight. It may possibly be necessary to make a hole a few centimetres in diameter next to the boiler, where the flue gas goes into the chimney and at its base where the cleaning piece is fitted. How long does the chimney lining process take? The lining of longer chimneys (15-20 m) using rigid steel tubes may take several days. The same process using FuranFlex® technology can be done in the space of a morning. Naturally this depends on any difficulties arising during the preparation of the chimney and on the external temperature. Can old chimneys be lined using FuranFlex® tubing? There is no such thing as an old chimney, just good chimneys and bad chimneys. After lining with FuranFlex® chimneys become renewed and usable again. Hardened FuranFlex® has the strength of steel and strengthens the original chimney. Can all chimneys be lined using this procedure? One of the advantages of the FuranFlex® technology is that it is available in any diameter between 60 and 850 mm. With very few exceptions it can be used in all chimneys. Can FuranFlex® be used both with gas and wood heating? Currently in Hungary FuranFlex® has an official licence for use with gas-fired heating. However, this licence is valid for chimneys connected to natural draft, turbo and condensing boilers as well. Abroad FuranFlex® is also licensed for use with oil heating, it only has an official licence for wood-fired heating at present in Sweden, Italy, Slovakia and Romania. The acquisition of the licence for wood heating is in process in other countries, including Hungary. What should be taken into consideration when choosing among the chimney-lining companies? Before doing anything else it is worth asking KOMPOZITOR Ltd. for its opinion or the opinion of those people who have installed FuranFlex® lining tubing. In the case of homes not located in Budapest you should contact the installation company closest to where you live. It is wise to ask for several price offers and check how big the installation company is and the extent of their know-how on their Internet site and in person. What does the 25-year guarantee cover? The greatest enemy of lining tubes is corrosion. The guarantee covers resistance to corrosion, in other words the primary source of faults of lining tubes. The manufacturer undertakes the guarantee if the installation is performed by a company or enterprise trained in the FuranFlex® technology. They must have a diploma for this. The third page of the filled in guarantee certificate provided by the installation company must be sent back to KOMPOZITOR Ltd. The guarantee will only be valid in this way. After the lining has been carried out what other things have to be done in the future in connection with the chimney? Apart from the annual chimney sweep inspection nothing has to be done after the chimney is lined. Something is being deposited from the flue gas passing through the chimney and lining tube, if this happens how should the chimney be cleaned? In the case of gas and oil heating it does not have to be cleaned, only checked once a year. If you have wood heating there may be deposits of tar. In the past this was removed by burning it off brick chimneys, today there are more modern methods. Are there any grants available for chimney lining? This varies from country to country. Significant state support can be obtained in Hungary for the renovation of collection chimneys, certain local authorities also support the repair of individual chimneys. What is an LAS chimney? This is a concrete chimney the internal diameter of which increases by 25 mm per floor. These chimneys have bad flow characteristics. After being lined with Multikamin-FuranFlex® lining tube these problems disappear. Where and when was the FuranFlex® procedure invented? FuranFlex® is an invention that was elaborated and patented by KOMPOZITOR Ltd. (Hungary). Date of registration of the patent: 1994 What does the name "FuranFlex" refer to? The name FuranFlex® is a brand name that is protected all over Europe. The word "Furan" refers to the resin made from a compound called furan, which is one of the components of the FuranFlex® material. Kompozitor was the first in the world to install glass-fibre reinforced resin into chimneys instead of stainless steel, ceramic, aluminium, concrete, etc. How big is the chimney lining market? The chimney market in Europe is huge. There is one chimney for every three people. The number of chimneys can be measured in the hundreds of millions. The chimney lining market is inestimable, as the lining of chimneys is compulsory in several countries already, and will soon be compulsory everywhere. Are there any other products similar to FuranFlex®? There is one in Hungary and another in Italy. Their market share is negligible. The lining material produced by them does not comply with the standards and their lifetime is unforeseeable. Many times they try to sell it under the name of FuranFlex® or a similar sounding name. Can anyone buy FuranFlex® lining tubing? No. FuranFlex® chimney lining tube is not available directly to end-users, only through the installation partners of KOMPOZITOR Ltd.