Does every chimney eventually fall apart and need the stainless steel sleeve? I posted in another thread, my sweepers were here last week and basically told us our chimney is disintegrating and backing up into the boiler ( the clay chips). My mom said it happened to her too, so I am wondering if this just happens over time with older homes, or if the guy was just trying to rip me off because I'm a woman, lol! It's around $1200 for the sleeve so I'm just trying to make an informed decision before I move forward.

Tia!