Flexible or rigid liner — the decision is made by your flue's geometry, not by preference. Taylors homes with offset flues require flexible liner; straight flue runs can accept either type. Flue path confirmed before liner is specified. Written scope before work begins.
The choice between flexible and rigid stainless liner is not a quality difference — both are NFPA 211 compliant materials in the same alloys. The decision is structural: flexible liner bends around offsets in the flue path, while rigid liner requires a straight unobstructed run. The flue path must be confirmed before liner type is specified.
Common in split-level and two-story Taylors homes built in the 1970s–1980s. The firebox opening is centered in the living room wall, but the chimney stack is offset to one side to align with the exterior roofline. The flue transitions from the firebox through a corbeled offset before entering the straight stack portion.
Found in homes where the chimney was extended or modified at some point — either to clear a structural element, accommodate a room addition, or reposition the chimney cap on the roofline. A lateral offset mid-stack creates a direction change the rigid liner sections cannot negotiate.
Single-story Taylors homes with a simple fireplace on an exterior wall often have a straight flue run from the smoke chamber to the chimney crown. No offset exists and rigid or flexible liner can be installed. Flue diameter and liner type specified based on firebox opening and flue height.
For wood-burning fireplaces, draft reduction from one or two moderate offsets is rarely noticeable in practice — the NFPA 211 sizing tables include margin for typical residential conditions. For gas appliances with tightly engineered vent sizing, multiple offsets may require a diameter step-down or other compensation. Diameter is confirmed with the offset configuration factored in before liner is ordered.