Questions tagged [chimney]

For questions specifically relating to structures that ventilate combustion byproducts of fuel burned in an interior space, such as a fireplace, stove, or furnace.

192 questions
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How to I safely anchor a safety line to a chimney?

I am going to be installing an antenna at the top of my brick chimney and I'd like to be able to use a safety line with a fall arrestor. The chimney visually looks OK. I'm trying to figure out the safest way to anchor to the top of the chimney. So…
Steven
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How do I remove a chimney?

I've got a chimney in my 50's-era house that doesn't do anything. It's a regular brick and mortar chimney but it used to be used to vent the old oil heater (it's been converted to natural gas since). The chimney isn't used any more. I don't believe…
Trevor
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Is installing a chimney liner a DIY project?

My chimney (25ft approximately, one story house) was recently inspected and the guy recommended a chimney liner for the furnace due to the grouting having been eaten away. He quoted $2000 for the parts and labor. It looks like this should be a…
Winder
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How to properly seal/cover an unused chimney?

We recently replaced an ancient chimney-vented boiler with a direct-vented one. This boiler was the only thing using our chimney. The chimney is brick and sits in the center of our 120-year-old house. On top, it has an old, rusted rain cap (now…
Shimon Rura
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What's a good way to support a freestanding chimney?

I'm working on adding a woodstove to a yurt. The chimney will go out a sidewall and then head up. There is not a good way to brace the chimney to the yurt itself. Here are some options I've read about, but don't know how to judge: Use a pair of…
Jay Bazuzi
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How can I keep animals out of my chimney?

I own a three story house with two chimneys. The chimney in the center of the house has two flue liners, one of which is used by our hot water heater and the other was for a fireplace that is sealed in by drywall, thus no longer in use. Last winter…
Gandolf989
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How would one extract a brick chimney embedded in the middle of a house?

I have a no-longer-in-use brick chimney running from basement to attic (roof was closed over it), left over from earlier heating systems. The space alongside it is being used for plumbing and electrical, so it would probably be a pain to actually…
keshlam
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Do gas fireplaces need chimney cleaning?

Is it necessary to have the chimney cleaned by chimney sweeping service if I use a gas imitation fireplace log (no wood) exclusively? If so, what is the reason? What is the root cause for chimneys needing cleaning in the first place?
glenviewjeff
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What should I expect when removing a chimney?

Our brick chimney is leaning away from our house. The breast is in the living room, pretty much flush with the wall. The backside starts in the attached garage, goes through its roof and up past the second floor house roof. We are thinking of…
Andy
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How can I refinish an interior chimney pipe to make it appear rounded?

Right now my interior chimney pipe is hidden behind a wall and I want to remove that wall and expose the pipe, but the pipe itself is not so pretty. My fireplace is a wood fireplace with a double isolated chimney pipe of about 10 inchs in…
Sebastien
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Is it possible to hang something on the wall surrounding my chimney?

My chimney runs up the center of the house from the basement. Where it passes through the kitchen, there is an obvious bulge in the wall where the wall basically wraps around the chimney. Based on the size of the chimney and the size of the bulge, I…
Colin K
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What is the best way to drill anchor holes in a chimney?

A structural engineer who designed our earthquake retrofit instructed us to put 3/4 all-threaded-rod (ATR) through the chimney at the rafter line on either side of the chimney, back them with Simpson BP3/4-3's on the outside, and anchor them with…
KJ7LNW
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Tips and advice for installing a chimney cap?

I have an older wood-burning fireplace that is missing a chimney cap. I'd like to install one prior to rain season here in California but would still like the ability to use the fireplace now and then (with the cap on). I was originally thinking…
Mike B
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Damp patch on the chimney wall

I have a problem with condensation on the wall between my living room and the chimney and I would be grateful for suggestions as to how to tackle this. Some background: when I bought my house the fireplaces had been removed and the chimneys capped.…
John Rennie
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How can I add a fireplace to an existing non-fireplace chimney?

Our 83 year old house has a brick chimney covered up with drywall. We have no idea where the original flue was, but it must have vented a wood stove because there is no structure for a fireplace. We want to install a zero-clearance wood-burning…
Fay
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