Chiminey Lining

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Subject

Author

Date

Chiminey Lining

Coldjensens

08-20-2007

PeterD

tmurf.1@juno.co...

Bob Morrison

Dennis

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Posted by Coldjensens on August 20, 2007, 4:56 pm

I have been researching chimney lining to determine whether this huge
expense is really necessary. (Most houses this is not a huge expense, for us
it is $2500 per chimney, plus everything ends up costing at least twice what
is originally quoted, so we are probably looking at $10K).

We have a house with two masonry chimneys. They were built or rebuilt
anytime between 1850 and 1994.They both burn wood. People were living in
this house from 1836 through 2004 and using the fireplaces without anyone
dying. Being that the house is 170 years old, it is not sealed like new
houses. We use radiated heat (not forced air). We moved the house in 2006
(jacked it up, put it on a truck moved it and placed it on a new foundation).
The chimneys are at least two courses of brick thick, maybe more.

What I am told is that:

1. The chimney could be leaking due to cracks in the mortar from the move,
or from the gases in the smoke eating away the mortar. It seems that this
can be determined by placing CO2 detectors all along and below the chimney
and building a fire. If the chimney is leaking, the detectors will pick it
up.

2. The gases from the woodsmoke will eat away at the mortar and block the
flue and you will go to sleep and never wake up. This makes no sense to me
at all. Eating away at the mortar will not block the flue. Besides, if the
flu was blocked, you would know it right away when the house filled up with
smoke (just like when you make a fire without opening the damper). I can
see right up the chimney when the damper is open. There is no blockage (at
least not since i removed the debris from when they removed the chimney tops
for the house move).

I am looking for some realistic and practical advice. Paranoid statements
like "Do not use the fireplace or everyone in your house will die" are not
helpful. There are hundreds of houses of nearly the same age with unlined
chimneys in our area and no one has died from fireplace fumes, at least not
in the past 50 years.

We have smoke detectors in every room of the house and we are placing CO2
detectors all over the chimney as well as below the chimney 9in the basement
I suspect that CO2 may be heavier than air), and leaving them there. We also
will not leave fires burning at night.

My question is whether using CO2 detectors is a reasonably safe way to
determine whether there are any leaks and to monitor for the possibility of
leaks in the future.

Thanks

Posted by PeterD on August 20, 2007, 7:17 pm

>My question is whether using CO2 detectors is a reasonably safe way to

>determine whether there are any leaks and to monitor for the possibility of

>leaks in the future.

Answer: No, that does not provide sufficient protection.

Answer: Your insurance company will not cover you if you are burning
wood in an unlined chimney.

Answer: This is extremely dangerous. Chimney fires will most likely
burn down the house if the chimney is unlined. This is doubly true if
the brickwork is compromised as yours certainly have been from moving
the house.

I would recommend a professionally installed stainless liner for each
chimney you use for wood (I also strongly recommend *not* using clay
tile liners, they will not survive a chimney fire.)

I would also strongly recommend a Fire Inspector check the setup when
you are ready. (Not the seller of the liner, or a store, but call the
fire department.) Most likely the insurance company will want a
certification that the setup is safe.

>Thanks

Posted by tmurf.1@juno.com on August 22, 2007, 7:12 pm

> I have been researching chimney lining to determine whether this huge

> expense is really necessary. (Most houses this is not a huge expense, for us

> it is $2500 per chimney, plus everything ends up costing at least twice what

> is originally quoted, so we are probably looking at $10K).

> We have a house with two masonry chimneys. They were built or rebuilt

> anytime between 1850 and 1994.They both burn wood. People were living in

> this house from 1836 through 2004 and using the fireplaces without anyone

> dying. Being that the house is 170 years old, it is not sealed like new

> houses. We use radiated heat (not forced air). We moved the house in 2006

> (jacked it up, put it on a truck moved it and placed it on a new foundation).

> The chimneys are at least two courses of brick thick, maybe more.

> What I am told is that:

> 1. The chimney could be leaking due to cracks in the mortar from the move,

> or from the gases in the smoke eating away the mortar. It seems that this

> can be determined by placing CO2 detectors all along and below the chimney

> and building a fire. If the chimney is leaking, the detectors will pick it

> up.

> 2. The gases from the woodsmoke will eat away at the mortar and block the

> flue and you will go to sleep and never wake up. This makes no sense to me

> at all. Eating away at the mortar will not block the flue. Besides, if the

> flu was blocked, you would know it right away when the house filled up with

> smoke (just like when you make a fire without opening the damper). I can

> see right up the chimney when the damper is open. There is no blockage (at

> least not since i removed the debris from when they removed the chimney tops

> for the house move).

> I am looking for some realistic and practical advice. Paranoid statements

> like "Do not use the fireplace or everyone in your house will die" are not

> helpful. There are hundreds of houses of nearly the same age with unlined

> chimneys in our area and no one has died from fireplace fumes, at least not

> in the past 50 years.

> We have smoke detectors in every room of the house and we are placing CO2

> detectors all over the chimney as well as below the chimney 9in the basement

> I suspect that CO2 may be heavier than air), and leaving them there. We also

> will not leave fires burning at night.

> My question is whether using CO2 detectors is a reasonably safe way to

> determine whether there are any leaks and to monitor for the possibility of

> leaks in the future.

> Thanks

You can buy the metal flue liners and install them yourself. It is
really simple. You do however need a chimney liner without question.

Posted by RD on August 22, 2007, 11:33 pm

tmurf.1@juno.com wrote:

>> I have been researching chimney lining to determine whether this huge

>> expense is really necessary. (Most houses this is not a huge expense, for us

>> it is $2500 per chimney, plus everything ends up costing at least twice what

>> is originally quoted, so we are probably looking at $10K).

>> We have a house with two masonry chimneys. They were built or rebuilt

>> anytime between 1850 and 1994.They both burn wood. People were living in

>> this house from 1836 through 2004 and using the fireplaces without anyone

>> dying. Being that the house is 170 years old, it is not sealed like new

>> houses. We use radiated heat (not forced air). We moved the house in 2006

>> (jacked it up, put it on a truck moved it and placed it on a new foundation).

>> The chimneys are at least two courses of brick thick, maybe more.

>> What I am told is that:

>> 1. The chimney could be leaking due to cracks in the mortar from the move,

>> or from the gases in the smoke eating away the mortar. It seems that this

>> can be determined by placing CO2 detectors all along and below the chimney

>> and building a fire. If the chimney is leaking, the detectors will pick it

>> up.

>> 2. The gases from the woodsmoke will eat away at the mortar and block the

>> flue and you will go to sleep and never wake up. This makes no sense to me

>> at all. Eating away at the mortar will not block the flue. Besides, if the

>> flu was blocked, you would know it right away when the house filled up with

>> smoke (just like when you make a fire without opening the damper). I can

>> see right up the chimney when the damper is open. There is no blockage (at

>> least not since i removed the debris from when they removed the chimney tops

>> for the house move).

>> I am looking for some realistic and practical advice. Paranoid statements

>> like "Do not use the fireplace or everyone in your house will die" are not

>> helpful. There are hundreds of houses of nearly the same age with unlined

>> chimneys in our area and no one has died from fireplace fumes, at least not

>> in the past 50 years.

>> We have smoke detectors in every room of the house and we are placing CO2

>> detectors all over the chimney as well as below the chimney 9in the basement

>> I suspect that CO2 may be heavier than air), and leaving them there. We also

>> will not leave fires burning at night.

>> My question is whether using CO2 detectors is a reasonably safe way to

>> determine whether there are any leaks and to monitor for the possibility of

>> leaks in the future.

>> Thanks

> You can buy the metal flue liners and install them yourself. It is

> really simple. You do however need a chimney liner without question.

Guys, please check for Chimney Swifts (east of the Rockies) between
mid-April thru Mid-September. The babies usually hatch about July 1st.
These birds (NOT Bats) are incredible. Also, they eat a lot of pesky
mosquitos all day. They're currently due to start leaving the nest
chimneys and roost in large groups before sundown in larger chimneys.
They return to South America by Mid-October.

Posted by Bob Morrison on August 23, 2007, 3:00 pm

In a previous post tmurf.1@juno.com wrote...

> > My question is whether using CO2 detectors is a reasonably safe way to

> > determine whether there are any leaks and to monitor for the possibility of

> > leaks in the future.

Put in a flue liner. You will glad you did. It is better to be safe than
sorry.
--
Bob Morrison, PE, SE
R L Morrison Engineering Co
Structural & Civil Engineering
Poulsbo WA
bob at rlmorrisonengr dot com

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