Efforvescence on chimney inside house
jb989
5 years ago
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jb989
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoWhat do you recommed I do?
Do I need a chimney liner? Or a camera sent down the chimney first?
Thanks.
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How to box in chimney inside?
Comments (1)The minimum clearance between the exterior face of masonry fireplaces and combustible materials varies depending on which side of the fireplace and the thickness of any integral masonry wall. The worst case is 2" at the front and sides and 4" at the back....See Moresmoke inside the house
Comments (4)You have inadequate draft - either your chimney is too short (should be higher than the highest portion of the home, not likely if this is a new build) or the area of the flue is too small or both. I would not say "most" get smoke in their home when their fireplace doors are open. Much of the country with older fireplaces, with properly built chimneys of the proper height don't have any problem w/ smoke in the home from a fire - and most don't have doors on the fireplace....See MoreNew House-Want Wood-Burning Insert Don't Have a Masonary Chimney
Comments (14)Hi, I googled, found this forum/article and want to add my two bits. I was also contemplating a fireplace with wood-stove features - back in 1991 when I was planning on the building of my new house. I decided the way to go then was to use the Vermont Casting Winterwarm system. It consisted of a 250 lb sheet metal cabinet that had a standard stick frame/plywood exterior built around it and the accompanying insert unit which added another 400lbs - it was then state of the art. The framing created a chase where 8" double walled steel flue was set with firestops (code concerns), insulation and a complete stainless steel sheet capping off the chase, with the vent pipe popping thru, of course. The framing could have been covered with vinyl siding, keeping costs lower, but we chose to brick it all the way up. So the costs amounted to (in 1991 and 1992) for the foundation- a couple $hundred, framing- a couple $hundred, brickwork - less than $3k not including the stove /fireplace/flues which ran under $5k parts and labor. A fresh air vent with shut off was installed at minimal cost - I did it myself. BTW, the fresh air vent is the key to health and happiness here. It minimizes pressure differences between the house and outside resulting in less backpuffing and a moister atmosphere in the house during the cold seasons. The results were that this baby heats my 3700 sqft house down to 10 degree F. everywhere except the room over the garage. When I have it lit, that is. Now the concerns: Vermont Castings ain't like it use to be. the company got bought out by a publicly traded one and the corporate mindset set in. The product is no longer on my recommendation list. My unit, built in 1991 needed a catalytic replacement after 10 years, the second one lasted only 3! Otherwise, I have sunk in less than a thousand dollars in 15 years on replacement parts. As for you concerns on costs: A conventional masonry fireplace cannot be used in conjuction with an insert. New codes stipulate that the stove has to have heat rated pipes going all the way from stove to the top. You can not use clay liners. My suggestion is to find a high quality insert out there made by a company with a wide distibution base, build a zero-clearance or minimal clearance base/chase according to the manufacturers specs, use double walled or better stainless pipe. You decide what to use on the exterior of the frame and the interior walls. But remember, if you think of adding brick/stone to the looks in the future, overhang at least 4 inches of foundation on the sides for weight handling. Good luck! Andy S....See MoreWill a chimney affect a house value?
Comments (17)Gas fireplaces come in two varieties: vented and ventless. The combustion of natural gas or propane creates toxic fumes. A vented fireplace exhausts those fumes to the outside, while a ventless supposedly burns efficiently enough to keep the fumes at non-toxic levels. I say supposedly because there is significant evidence that they don't. One reason for this is that they need to be re-calibrated to an efficient burn or they lose that efficiency, not many people really pay $100-$200 a year to have their fireplace re-calibrated to safe levels. It could also be noted that one appliance putting out significant but safe levels of carbon monoxide is not really a good thing. I personally, would not ever consider installing a ventless fireplace, and I would think an inspector may point this out. We recently bought a house with a ventless gas fireplace and our inspector pointed it out to us, and noted the controversy but didn't really take a side. It wasn't connected to propane and I will never run it but it is there. So make sure what you are getting is being vented to the exterior of the home. Edit: There are several faux brick chimney surrounds that can be installed at the roof which will give the look of a chimney outside without the weight and foundation of a chimney inside....See Morejb989
5 years agoI have a cap and had flashing checked.
I have a chimney guy coming. On the phone he seemed to think it was probably condensation in the chimney because we only have the hot water heater venting through chimney and it probably does not get hot enough to burn off moisture. Our furnace vents to side of house. He was suggesting a chimney liner.Does this sound reasonable or am I just being sold a liner?
DavidR
5 years agojb989
5 years agojb989
5 years ago
sktn77a
5 years ago
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DavidR