johno wrote:
We are considering having a wood burner installed as a secondary heat
source in our front room, we live in a rural area, have access to
plenty of fuel and no storage problems. Not using it to heat water.
However we do have one minor problem.... we have no chimney stack!
Previous owners have had it removed down to just above bedroom
ceiling. Having it rebuilt will not be a problem, but the question I
have is, do we need it lining?
There are four fireplaces in the house, two up and two down. We have
no intention of ever having fires upstairs and unlikely to have one in
the other downstairs room. I welcome the opinions/thoughts/suggestions
(polite ones please) of the 'team' .

If you're having the job done of reconstructing the stack through the
loft and the roof then it's absolutely worth having the chimney lined at
the same time.

Chimneys have a tendency to crack over time which means smoke and tar
deposit leak into the rooms, causing a smell and making stains behind
plaster.

The other advantages are that it'll probably draw better and it'll stay
clean longer and be easier to sweep.