I've discovered a purlin sitting on the back of a chimney ! The masonary around the roof line is shot and i can see the flue liner from the room the purlin is in. There is some smokey deposits on the wood and surounding roof structure but no charring (tho I haven't been able to inpect the end that is actually in the chimney) We've used the fire that uses the chimney regularly for the past five years with no problems. Should I fix up the masonary and forget about it or do something else to remedy it ?
- Thread starter Matd
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Welcome to the forum.
That's a tricky one to make a suggestion on without seeing it yourself. The smoky deposits could be from before the chimney was lined and have no relevance?
The temperature and risk of fire are dependant on the burning method below. IIRC open fires produce colder exhaust fumes but wood burners and stoves can create serious heat all the way up the flue.
Structural timbers have to rest on something. My Georgian house is built around two chimney breasts connected by brick arches. By deduction my joists and rafters must be supported on the chimney breast brickwork but I'm guessing they don't actually penetrate the chimney itself. It certainly sounds like something you should investigate before bricking it back in.
If you post a picture that would help, I'm sure some more knowledgeable posts will be along in a minute.
That's a tricky one to make a suggestion on without seeing it yourself. The smoky deposits could be from before the chimney was lined and have no relevance?
The temperature and risk of fire are dependant on the burning method below. IIRC open fires produce colder exhaust fumes but wood burners and stoves can create serious heat all the way up the flue.
Structural timbers have to rest on something. My Georgian house is built around two chimney breasts connected by brick arches. By deduction my joists and rafters must be supported on the chimney breast brickwork but I'm guessing they don't actually penetrate the chimney itself. It certainly sounds like something you should investigate before bricking it back in.
If you post a picture that would help, I'm sure some more knowledgeable posts will be along in a minute.
Penners
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- Suffolk, England
A picture or two would certainly be a big help in visualising the structure that you've described.
I got a chimney guy to look at it and he says it's ok... just need to make good the top of the wall 
His probings uncovered two additional flues though !! The current stack has only room for two really !?
Any ideas ? Would the house have once had a wider stack for four flues ? Why would someone get rid of two and when ?
Chimey history web site anyone ?
His probings uncovered two additional flues though !! The current stack has only room for two really !?
Any ideas ? Would the house have once had a wider stack for four flues ? Why would someone get rid of two and when ?
Chimey history web site anyone ?
Penners
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- 17,294
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- Suffolk, England
I think that's very difficult to say without knowing more about the house. For example, if it's a typical Victorian terrace, then a four-flue chimney would be typical - two flues for the dwelling on each side of the chimney.Matd said:
What's the age and configuration of the house?
i'll be updating my house investigation website soon but for the moment take a look at...
www.pilotbb.net
The large pic "Until you see it from the North..." shows two stacks. The stack that is nearest in the pic is the one that the chimney man found extra flues in... two flues more than the pots on the stack.
He found that the nearest pot fell away to a filled flue that runs forward to a side of the house that lacks any fire places.
We did a smoke test on another fireplace and found that the the flue would have exited mid roof far away from the current stack. I asked if it would suggest a much wider stack but the chimney man suggest that there would have been an auxiliary stack!? Can't see that myself.. possibly a flue running just under the roofline??
I've been told that the fireplace that is served by my phantom flue is a hobgrate therefore victorian ? It's a very basic example to others i have seen but then it's in a very isolated rural area... could it be earlier ??
thoughts greatly recieved (spelling excused!)
www.pilotbb.net
The large pic "Until you see it from the North..." shows two stacks. The stack that is nearest in the pic is the one that the chimney man found extra flues in... two flues more than the pots on the stack.
He found that the nearest pot fell away to a filled flue that runs forward to a side of the house that lacks any fire places.
We did a smoke test on another fireplace and found that the the flue would have exited mid roof far away from the current stack. I asked if it would suggest a much wider stack but the chimney man suggest that there would have been an auxiliary stack!? Can't see that myself.. possibly a flue running just under the roofline??
I've been told that the fireplace that is served by my phantom flue is a hobgrate therefore victorian ? It's a very basic example to others i have seen but then it's in a very isolated rural area... could it be earlier ??
thoughts greatly recieved (spelling excused!)
Penners
Member
- Messages
- 17,294
- Location
- Suffolk, England
Ah yes, I remember your house now, from your previous posts.
I think you need the views of someone much more expert than I am. It looks as though it has been extended and modified so much over the decades/centuries that I would hesitate to speculate in any way about its original age or configuration.
I think you need the views of someone much more expert than I am. It looks as though it has been extended and modified so much over the decades/centuries that I would hesitate to speculate in any way about its original age or configuration.