Fireplace chimney fire - need advice

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hi, we had a chimney fire that caused cracks in the flue
liner. We had a wood burning stove
(which can no longer be used) in the fireplace when the fire took place. The wood burning stove did not have a specific pipe or liner
inside of the chimney, it was just the chimney.

We have decided not to
replace the wood burning stove. We are
debating between a Heat Champion, made by Stoll, and a regular open wood
burning fireplace. The Heat Champion is
appealing because we can have the doors open for fireplace/ambiance feel or
close the doors and heat the room. Of
course the heat from the Heat Champion will not provide nearly as much heat out as
a wood burning stove but that is fine with us.
The open fireplace would be the prettiest and have the wonderful ambiance…with
heat loss. Our understanding is that
if we choose the Heat Champion or the open fireplace the following items would be necessary
for the repairs:

Heatshield cerfractory sealant
materials, chemical cleaner, Chamber
Tech, cerfractory foam, sand, mortar, Portland cement, etc.

We feel that the bid for the above repairs were extremely
high. Could anyone give me a ballpark of
what the above repairs should cost?
Also, does anyone have any experience with the Stoll Heat Champion?

I don’t know if I have given enough information for a
thorough understanding of the situation.
Please let me know if other info is needed…I’ll try to answer.

Thank you.

Featured Answer

akamainegrower

8 years ago

You can likely find reviews of the Stoll product written by owners/users at www.hearth.com. As for the cost of repairing your chimney, much depends on what needs to be done and the buillding codes that must be met, not to mention the extent of the damage. If the old tiles need to be broken up and removed in order to install a new liner of some type, the cost is considerable. If there is damage to the structure of the chimney itself, even more cost. The chemical cleaner on the list suggests that the chimney was seriously clogged with a dangerous amount and type of creosote which could have caused serious damage to the bricks surrounding the liner. Masonry repair charges also vary considerably in different parts of the country. Best thing you can do is to get several bids on the work to be done. In any case, i would expect to pay several thousand dollars to repair the chimney and bring it back into compliance with code.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Rockford Chimney Supply
8 years ago
Installing the Stoll fireplace is simple, you just level it and tighten some retaining bolts. However, in order for someone to install it for you, they would have to make sure every facet of the fireplace and chimney is in tip top shape. That's why the price may seem high. The chamber tech 2000 leads me to believe the smoke shelf is in poor condition. When the smoke shelf is in poor condition, it usually means the flue is in poor condition. Are they proposing a installing a new stainless steel chimney liner? If so you could expect to see a bid in the area of 6 to 8 thousand dollars. If you go with a high efficient wood burning insert you could easily cut that cost in half. You can also get up to $300.00 back on your taxes with this years EPA wood burning stove tax credit.
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kkid77
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi, thank you Rockford and akamainegrower for your replies.

Hopefully this will be a bit more clear.

There are two vertical
cracks in the flue liner and a vertical in the second liner. The cap is completely blocked by
creosote.

Evaluation and repair
options: There is evidence of a sudden occurrence event, chimney fire, present.
The first option for an open fireplace without replacing a woodstove, to repair
the flue liners with Heatshield™ cerfractory system to seal the liner and the
joints in the damaged chimney.

Any of the remaining
glaze deposits will be scoured by the ro-clean method to prepare for the new
system. We will remove any protrusions in the flue liners to allow for
installation of the new system. Access through the masonry firebox to the smoke
chamber may require the removal of the firebrick and damper assembly. All entry
points will be repaired. We will install Heatshield® cerfractory sealant
material to restore the flue liner in the fireplace. This system will allow for
use as a fireplace. The smoke chamber will be coated with cerfractory foam.
This system necessitates a curing period. Please see the following links for
details at HeatShield. The Heatshield™ product carries a twenty year warranty
from the manufacturer. All work will be done in a neat and orderly manner. Any
additional work desired will be quoted as a separate

Materials:
Heatshield™cerfractory sealant materials,chemical cleaner, Chamber Tech,
cerfractory foam, sand, mortar, portland cement, etc.

Labor and
freight,masonry and total installation of system

Glass enclosures-
standard , installed
akamainegrower
8 years ago
There are other flue lining systems besides the Heatshield one. These include stainless steel liners and poured in place liners such as Supaflu. If you are concerned about cost, bids from other chimney restoration companies would be a good idea.
PRO
Rockford Chimney Supply
8 years ago
Any method of chimney flue relining for a traditional fireplace is going to be costly. A lot of work is needed in order for them to tell you it is perfectly safe to light a fire. The Heat Champion looks good on paper. However, the price seems high for a little extra heat out of your fireplace.
PRO
D K and Sons
8 years ago
Why is it that no one suggests a masonry heater? You get the best of both worlds, the efficiency of a closed burn chamber and the beauty of a traditional fireplace. It sounds like the existing FP is going to have open heart surgery anyway, so go ahead and make it the ultimate wood burning appliance. The chimney will have to be repaired either way, and a SS flue works excellently with a Masonry Heater. kkid77, take a few moments to check out the MHA-net.org website and look at the list of members. Perhaps you will have a Masonry Heater builder near you that can quote this option. There are functional Masonry Heaters over two hundred years old in parts of Europe.
kkid77
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for everyone's feedback. I will do some research.

Fireplace chimney fire - need advice

akamainegrower

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Rockford Chimney Supply

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Fireplace chimney fire - need advice

akamainegrower

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Rockford Chimney Supply

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kkid77Original Author

akamainegrower

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