Chimney leaking smoke?
Discussion
Chaps,
We have an open fire in our lounge. It's now getting colder, so we have started using it again for the winter.
When we use it, there is a distinct smell of smoke upstairs. 'Odd' thought I, 'the chimney must be leaking somehow.'
Yesterday I was in the lofts, installing some more insulation. (Never, ever use rockwool insulation. It's hideous stuff to work with - itches like bu99ery. Glass fibre is much nicer.) In the process, I noticed that the chimney breast in the loft was missing some small bits of mortar, and there appeared to be a quantity of soot around the missing mortar. I'm guessing that this could be related to the smell of smoke ...
What's the cure for this? I guess that replacing some of the missing mortar is a good place to start, but should we be doing anything else?
Mrs zcacogp wants to get the chimney sweep 'round (last done about 3 years ago), but my thoughts are that sweeping the chimney is likely to dislodge more mortar (from the inside, admittedly) and make the problem worse, not better.
Oli.
We have an open fire in our lounge. It's now getting colder, so we have started using it again for the winter.
When we use it, there is a distinct smell of smoke upstairs. 'Odd' thought I, 'the chimney must be leaking somehow.'
Yesterday I was in the lofts, installing some more insulation. (Never, ever use rockwool insulation. It's hideous stuff to work with - itches like bu99ery. Glass fibre is much nicer.) In the process, I noticed that the chimney breast in the loft was missing some small bits of mortar, and there appeared to be a quantity of soot around the missing mortar. I'm guessing that this could be related to the smell of smoke ...
What's the cure for this? I guess that replacing some of the missing mortar is a good place to start, but should we be doing anything else?
Mrs zcacogp wants to get the chimney sweep 'round (last done about 3 years ago), but my thoughts are that sweeping the chimney is likely to dislodge more mortar (from the inside, admittedly) and make the problem worse, not better.
Oli.
zcacogp said:
jeff m said:
Pointing of the bricks on the inside of the chimney would be quite difficult unless you have young very trainable kids.
A liner would be something to consider.
Thanks Jeff. A liner would be something to consider.
There's laws about your first suggestion ... and the second one would be ££££!
Oli.
I got a chimney inspection a few years ago it was $60, fibre otic up the chimney etc.
It was only $60 because their object is to get work from it. The guy who did the inspection (an employee) said you only need X and Y you can do that yourself we would charge z. Chimney work is not cheap.
Chimney sweeps tend to be experts in chimney safety, also if you are getting soot and smoke in the house then the fire may not be drawing properly i.e. there is a potential for Carbon Monoxide. You may be able to fix some of the problem by doing the pointing outside the chimney, i'd get advice off someone like a chimney sweep or a good builder.
A couple of things I have discovered on deciding to install a multi fuel stove in an our old inglenook:
If you use a flue liner you should insulate the void around it with something like micafil. This stops the liner "sweating"
The flue liner must also be the proper stuff and not a gas boiler flue. That means it is almost smooth on the inside to reduce the build up of sulphurous soot. 6" costs about £35 a metre, 8" is about £40. It's twin wall, although it doesn't look like that unless you look really closely.
Min 6" dia for stoves, 8" for open fires.
Dodgy chimmneys are ok until you have a chimmney fire. Personally, I would not want to take that risk.
If you use a flue liner you should insulate the void around it with something like micafil. This stops the liner "sweating"
The flue liner must also be the proper stuff and not a gas boiler flue. That means it is almost smooth on the inside to reduce the build up of sulphurous soot. 6" costs about £35 a metre, 8" is about £40. It's twin wall, although it doesn't look like that unless you look really closely.
Min 6" dia for stoves, 8" for open fires.
Dodgy chimmneys are ok until you have a chimmney fire. Personally, I would not want to take that risk.
Chaps,
Thanks for your answers.
I re-did the iffy pointing, and we have had a fire subsequently. The smell of smoke was significantly reduced, but it hasn't gone away entirely.
Mrs zcacogp (who is more keen to do something about this than am I) has called the sweep this morning. The receptionist (as in, not the sweep himself) has said that if the chimney is leaking smoke then sweeping it won't do much good, the chimney needs to be lined.
So ... hmmm. gtr-gaz, the prices you quoted are just for the lining, I guess - not for the installation as well? How practical is it to DIY lining installation?
Oli.
Thanks for your answers.
I re-did the iffy pointing, and we have had a fire subsequently. The smell of smoke was significantly reduced, but it hasn't gone away entirely.
Mrs zcacogp (who is more keen to do something about this than am I) has called the sweep this morning. The receptionist (as in, not the sweep himself) has said that if the chimney is leaking smoke then sweeping it won't do much good, the chimney needs to be lined.
So ... hmmm. gtr-gaz, the prices you quoted are just for the lining, I guess - not for the installation as well? How practical is it to DIY lining installation?
Oli.
We had a chimney lined due to breached flues. The cost will partly depend on what it is being lined for. We wanted to get a liner fitted for an open fire but found that the existing flue was only 7.5" with some 'snotters' which meant the spacce was reduced. Open fires need an 8" I think so that was a no go. We had a 7" fitted complete with register plate at the bottom to attach to a stove, and a plate at the top to hold the liner secure.
A 13m liner was fitted for about £1000. But that included the hire of scaffolding for a couple of days for access and to open (and close) sections of the side of the chimney stack to clear debris.
Practicality of lining depends on where the chimney is relative to the big drop, how good you are with heights, and whether you have a mate handy to pull the liner down while someone else pushes from above. It'd be worth getting the chimney swept first anyway to clear out any loose debris which would make fitting the liner easier.
Dr Rick
A 13m liner was fitted for about £1000. But that included the hire of scaffolding for a couple of days for access and to open (and close) sections of the side of the chimney stack to clear debris.
Practicality of lining depends on where the chimney is relative to the big drop, how good you are with heights, and whether you have a mate handy to pull the liner down while someone else pushes from above. It'd be worth getting the chimney swept first anyway to clear out any loose debris which would make fitting the liner easier.
Dr Rick
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