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Condensation in an old exhaust flue

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Condensation in an old exhaust flue mrsgator88 11-06-2006
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Posted by mrsgator88 on November 6, 2006, 4:40 am
Hello,

Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original
part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a
brick chimney.

We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace, and
noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney, even when
there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the chimney, and
its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.

The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the
bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels like
it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the furnace
tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace for a couple
of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the chimney, and I
could feel water on the inside of the pipe.

My questions are:

1) is this condensation normal?

2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?

Thanks,

Steve



Posted by daytona° on November 6, 2006, 7:06 am
You say the house is late 50's....how old is the furnace?
The bricks on the outside...is there a white colored residue around the
pointing?


> Hello,
>
> Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original
> part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a
> brick chimney.
>
> We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace,
> and noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney, even
> when there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the
> chimney, and its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.
>
> The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the
> bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels like
> it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the furnace
> tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace for a
> couple of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the
> chimney, and I could feel water on the inside of the pipe.
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1) is this condensation normal?
>
> 2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve
>



Posted by mrsgator88 on November 6, 2006, 8:29 am
Sorry, I knew I forgot some info. The furnace is a Heil and we put it in
about 5-6 years ago. I very much doubt its high efficiency - IIRC we paid
about $1800 and that included installing it in a different location in the
room.

Also, we had a gas water heater that shared the same flue until a few months
ago.

The bricks inside, and the bottom of the foundation (where it meets the
floor) have white residue.

S


> You say the house is late 50's....how old is the furnace?
> The bricks on the outside...is there a white colored residue around the
> pointing?
>
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original
>> part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a
>> brick chimney.
>>
>> We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace,
>> and noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney,
>> even when there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the
>> chimney, and its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.
>>
>> The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the
>> bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels
>> like it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the
>> furnace tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace
>> for a couple of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the
>> chimney, and I could feel water on the inside of the pipe.
>>
>> My questions are:
>>
>> 1) is this condensation normal?
>>
>> 2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Steve
>>
>
>



Posted by jamesgangnc on November 6, 2006, 7:46 am
Yes, that condensation. It's bad. You can get a liner that may solve
your problem. Ideally quit using the chimney as a vent and install a
dedicated vent. If you need a new furnace then consider going to a 90+
efficiency unit that can be vented with pvc pipe.

Furnaces that vent via the chimney or metal vent pipe need to keep the
exhaust heat high enough so that the water does not condensate before
it is completely out. It is hard to do in a chimney since they often
stick up above the house pretty far. The efficiency of furnaces was
pretty low when you house was built so a lot more heat went up the
chimney. It was probably not a problem then.

mrsgator88 wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original
> part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a
> brick chimney.
>
> We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace, and
> noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney, even when
> there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the chimney, and
> its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.
>
> The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the
> bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels like
> it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the furnace
> tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace for a couple
> of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the chimney, and I
> could feel water on the inside of the pipe.
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1) is this condensation normal?
>
> 2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Steve


Posted by mrsgator88 on November 6, 2006, 8:32 am
If I put in a liner, should it be open on the bottom, or will it have a
drain pipe like the high eff. ones? My furnace is about 5-6 years old, so I
hoping to get more use out of it before replacing it. Thanks,

S

> Yes, that condensation. It's bad. You can get a liner that may solve
> your problem. Ideally quit using the chimney as a vent and install a
> dedicated vent. If you need a new furnace then consider going to a 90+
> efficiency unit that can be vented with pvc pipe.
>
> Furnaces that vent via the chimney or metal vent pipe need to keep the
> exhaust heat high enough so that the water does not condensate before
> it is completely out. It is hard to do in a chimney since they often
> stick up above the house pretty far. The efficiency of furnaces was
> pretty low when you house was built so a lot more heat went up the
> chimney. It was probably not a problem then.
>
> mrsgator88 wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original
>> part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a
>> brick chimney.
>>
>> We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace,
>> and
>> noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney, even
>> when
>> there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the chimney,
>> and
>> its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.
>>
>> The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the
>> bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels
>> like
>> it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the furnace
>> tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace for a
>> couple
>> of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the chimney, and
>> I
>> could feel water on the inside of the pipe.
>>
>> My questions are:
>>
>> 1) is this condensation normal?
>>
>> 2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Steve
>



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