Hi guys,
first post of probably many!
Just thought I would ask a question about the latest strangeness I have found while working on the house.
It involves chimneys - seems to be a popular theme - but I haven't seen anything like this.
Context:
It is a 3 or 4 floor house (3 at the back, 4 at the front). As far as we know it is 1850s, maybe earlier. Rough red stone walls with Bath Stone window surrounds etc. Roof ridge front to back, and semi-detached so there is a central gulley between us and next door. Main chimney breasts are on the party wall, though there is a second external chimney on the opposite wall.
At the back:
Ground floor: kitchen, looks like 2 fireplaces on opposite sides (party wall and opposite). Investigations are ongoing...
1st floor, 2 bedrooms each with a chimney breast (one party wall, one opposite)
2nd floor: attic bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
At the front:
Basement room, one chimney breast on party wall.
Living room, one chimney breast on party wall. Gas fire fitted.
1st floor, one bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
2nd floor: attic bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
The party wall chimneys have been taken down below roof level and roofed over.
We have had issues with damp in the 2nd floor bedroom, on the chimney breast and into the corner to the outside wall. I have replaced the plaster in the recess, and part of the lath and plaster ceiling there. That seems to have solved most of the problem, though when pulling the old stuff off I found that next door had redone the roof gulley about a foot higher without telling me. That may have fixed a leak, I couldn't say...
But, we still have damp/ condensation on the chimney breast.
We opened up the fireplace in the kitchen, thinking maybe that would help the chimney dry out, but it made no difference.
Recently I managed to get a camera up the chimney (GoPros can do anything!) to see that when they took the top off the chimney, it looks as though they simply rolled up some rockwool and stuffed it in the hole and called it a day. hhmmmm.
I am imagining that that might be a bit of a magnet for condensation? Or is that an accepted way to seal a chimney?
I haven't managed to get a camera up the front chimneys, but I have concerns. I mentioned the lack of chimney stacks, I also mentioned the gas fire? Yes it was tested when I moved in, and yes it has been used. State of any rockwool at the top of the chimney... unknown. I tried getting a camera up from the basement fireplace after it was opened up, but they dropped a brick down it when they took the chimney off so I can't get all the way up...
So, TLDR: Rockwool in the top of a chimney - good idea? Or should it be removed somehow?
Any thoughts welcome
first post of probably many!
Just thought I would ask a question about the latest strangeness I have found while working on the house.
It involves chimneys - seems to be a popular theme - but I haven't seen anything like this.
Context:
It is a 3 or 4 floor house (3 at the back, 4 at the front). As far as we know it is 1850s, maybe earlier. Rough red stone walls with Bath Stone window surrounds etc. Roof ridge front to back, and semi-detached so there is a central gulley between us and next door. Main chimney breasts are on the party wall, though there is a second external chimney on the opposite wall.
At the back:
Ground floor: kitchen, looks like 2 fireplaces on opposite sides (party wall and opposite). Investigations are ongoing...
1st floor, 2 bedrooms each with a chimney breast (one party wall, one opposite)
2nd floor: attic bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
At the front:
Basement room, one chimney breast on party wall.
Living room, one chimney breast on party wall. Gas fire fitted.
1st floor, one bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
2nd floor: attic bedroom, one chimney breast on party wall.
The party wall chimneys have been taken down below roof level and roofed over.
We have had issues with damp in the 2nd floor bedroom, on the chimney breast and into the corner to the outside wall. I have replaced the plaster in the recess, and part of the lath and plaster ceiling there. That seems to have solved most of the problem, though when pulling the old stuff off I found that next door had redone the roof gulley about a foot higher without telling me. That may have fixed a leak, I couldn't say...
But, we still have damp/ condensation on the chimney breast.
We opened up the fireplace in the kitchen, thinking maybe that would help the chimney dry out, but it made no difference.
Recently I managed to get a camera up the chimney (GoPros can do anything!) to see that when they took the top off the chimney, it looks as though they simply rolled up some rockwool and stuffed it in the hole and called it a day. hhmmmm.
I am imagining that that might be a bit of a magnet for condensation? Or is that an accepted way to seal a chimney?
I haven't managed to get a camera up the front chimneys, but I have concerns. I mentioned the lack of chimney stacks, I also mentioned the gas fire? Yes it was tested when I moved in, and yes it has been used. State of any rockwool at the top of the chimney... unknown. I tried getting a camera up from the basement fireplace after it was opened up, but they dropped a brick down it when they took the chimney off so I can't get all the way up...
So, TLDR: Rockwool in the top of a chimney - good idea? Or should it be removed somehow?
Any thoughts welcome
