Why chimney liner installation works differently in Toronto
Nearly every urgent chimney liner installation call we take in Toronto began as something a homeowner noticed months earlier and reasonably decided to watch.
Older Toronto stock was built when soft lime mortar and clay liners were the standard; modern high-efficiency appliances vent very differently, and the mismatch causes condensation the original builder never planned for.
Many Toronto properties were re-roofed at least once without the flashing being re-detailed, leaving a cosmetic seal doing structural work.
Across North York Centre, Hoggs Hollow, Leaside, The Annex and Downtown, the housing stock changes street by street, and the correct method changes with it. A century home with a soft-brick stack does not get the same treatment as a 2010 build with a factory-built vent — using one method on both is how systems get damaged.
If you live anywhere near the CN Tower, the practical takeaway is that a chimney liner installation visit should start with an assessment, not a tool. Any crew that begins work before telling you what they found is guessing on your behalf.

