Clay flue tiles cracked after a 500 degree burn, back to steel liners

Had a job in Columbus last month where the client insisted we do a hot burn to clean out years of creosote buildup. We got the fire going hotter than usual, maybe 500 degrees at the flue entrance, and about 20 minutes in I heard this popping sound. Pulled the cap off and found two clay tiles cracked right down the middle, hairline but definitely structural. That setup was only 12 years old, so it wasn't age related, the heat spike just did it in. Swapped in a stainless steel liner the next day and told the homeowner we'd skip the burn method going forward. Anyone else seen clay tiles fail like that on a routine hot burn or am I just unlucky with that specific batch of tile?

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the_tessa28d ago

Were those tiles actually cracked before you lit the fire? Ive seen a lot of damaged flues where the issue was already there, just hidden behind buildup until the heat made it obvious. A 500 degree burn is hot, sure, but clay tiles are supposed to handle that kind of temperature in normal use. Im not saying it couldnt happen, but twelve years of heating and cooling cycles can weaken things in ways you dont see until something stresses them. Maybe that batch was bad, but Id want proof it was the burn and not just the final straw on a tile that was already failing.

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