leaking chimmey

We have a chimney leak and we just can’t find it .

We have a 5 ft wide chimney and we have done everything possible.

We put on a new roof, we have sealed it; we have a cricket put on behind the chimney.

We are at our wit’s end.

Our home is only 23 years old and we have worked at this every since we moved in 21 years ago.

There is no water coming down the flu. Water is getting behind the brick, and will run all the way to the basement.

I am about ready to tear the chimney down. And and we just fixed the roof.

Damper Stuck in closed position

The fireplace has heat exchanger tubes above the fire box. Roughly a series of 14 tubes about 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter extending from one side of the firebox to the other.  The damper is installed above the heat exchanger tubes. 

The damper opens at the twist of a knob with about a 45 degree turn. 

The problem is, the damper is stuck in the closed position and in trying to force it open, the turning mechanism broke. 

It is at least 16 inches above the bottom of the tubes and 9 and 1/2 feet down from the top of the flue to the damper.  Short of blowing open the back wall of the fireplace (which is on a common wall with the garage) is there an way to fix this?

multiple dampers in one fireplace

I am an inspector for the jurisdiction having authority (JHA) and have encountered a fireplace 8’6” wide X 28” tall with two 3’6” dampers each with its own control handle.

I have never encountered this and the code does not address multiple dampers is masonry fireplaces.

Are you aware of any UL or other rulings on this? 

This is new construction. 

Thanks,

Was this a chimney fire?

The last time I had a fire,  I noticed outside the top of the chimney had lots of sparks and the chimney cap, which I just purchased, was turning a bright fiery red/white hot.

I got really scared it might have been a chimney fire so I ran inside and put the fire out.

I burn only eucalyptus which is well seasoned.

I also noticed there are cracks forming on the outside of the chimney but only the lower half. Could this have been a chimney fire or could the chimney cap I bought have been too short? 

It has not been swept lately. There is also a huge tree close by which has aggressive roots. Could that have cracked the chimney or do you think it is “all of the above”?

I live alone and could use your input on this problem. That is my only source of heat but have been so scared I haven’t used the fireplace since.

Thank You,

Frozen Sandy

Snow knocked the gas chimney off the roof!

Snow coming off our new metal roof just knocked our gas fireplace chimney down.

It is laying on its side on the roof.  We can’t tell if it is bent, still attached, ready to come down….from below and it is still storming and too slippery for my disabled husband to try and fix right now. 

Any ideas, suggestions of how to proceed or who to call would be wonderful. 

We live in a rural area and experts are few and far between. 

Thank you in advance for your wisdom!

woodstove is smoking up house

I live in an old house with a chimney built all the way to the ground.

This is the second winter I have used a wood stove and in the last 2 weeks the heater is smoking up the house. We took the pipes off to see if they were stopped up and they were a little.

The only thing different is the lower part of the chimney that goes to the ground is full of soot. Would that affect my draft?

Downdraft problem

I have downdraft instead of updraft. Smoke enters my house.

Unburned coals

I have a 5 year old Mansfield Hearthstone wood stove.  Instead of burning the wood down to ashes which I can remove in the pan, it leaves a pile of slow burning coals. 

As I add more wood to that pile, and that wood doesn’t fully burn, the pile of coals grows higher. 

Eventually my box is full of coals and I need a day to let that burn down before I can add wood and make a new fire.

I’d be grateful for any thoughts / ideas.

Kevin

Chimney damper cleaning

My nine year old wood burning fireplace has a damper controlled by turning a nob which moves a traveling device on a worm gear. 

Over the years this mechanism has become hard to operate.  What’s the best way to clean or lubricate it?

fire place smoking up the room

We are getting a lot of smoke when we try to light our air tight wood stove in the reckroom. 

This morning, I wanted to light a fire, since it was -37 deg. C (-34.6 F) but the flue was all frosted up.  What could be the problem. 

This is the first year we have encountered this problem, after being here 3 years.