Should I have bought a Barret's Exec instead?????

[showqa]

Oh God, why didn't I buy a Barret's Exec instead??? It's me again - with yet more questions.

So, we have a huge, very tall, very thin, chimney which was badly built in the 70s. It's got a nasty crack down it and the structural guy said it needs attention - no surprise there.

Thing is it doesn't draw at all. In fact, it belches smoke back into the room (we have an open fire with a hood), even though we've had it swept. The local builder is saying that it's in need of completely rebuilding which is going to cost "thousands" (exactly how many thousands he seems reluctant to say), and added that there's still no certainty of it drawing. His advice is to scrap it all together and build a new fireplace on the other wall!!!

This seems very extreme, especially as we actually have a very nice feature fireplace already which has been there forever and a day. Would a log burner be more appropriate? Any ideas folks? Thank you, as always.

 

[MdB]

pics?

 

[Flyfisher]

I'd be surprised if simply rebuilding the chimney would make much difference to how well it functions, even though it might need it for structural reasons. Lack of draw could be many things. Might be worth reading these:

http://www.solve-chimney-problems.co.uk/

http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/curing_chimney_problems.pdf

 

[skier-hughes]

We rebuilt a double chimney from the top of the upstairs room to about 30 courses.
£350 scaffolding
£200 bricks
£720 2 lime bricklayers and a skivvy 2 days
£100 lime and sand

 

[Penners]

How long is it since the fireplace had a proper fire going in it?

Chimnies that have been out of use for a long period frequently smoke badly at first. But once you've managed to get a good fire burning a few times, and dried out the whole structure, the problem solves itself.

Have you tried all the usual old tricks to get a good fire drawing well? E.g. blocking off the top half of the fireplace cavity with a panel of something (non-inflammable! My father used to use newspaper!!) to increase the air flow.

I wouldn't give up on the chimney without really trying to warm it up and dry it out.

The crack is, of course, a different matter (unless it's so big that it's allowing a sideways flow of air into the chimney that's destroying the draught effect).

Two questions:

1. Who was "the structural guy"? Was he a proper structural engineer, or just a builder?

2. What did he mean by "needs attention". That's a vague phrase that could mean anything from "needs keeping an eye on" to "urgently needs major work".

I'm afraid that - being a cynic - I would question your builder's recommendation to scrap the chimney and build a new one elsewhere. What guarantee is there that the new one would work any better than the old? And is the existing chimney crack really so bad that a full rebuild is the only solution?

Is your house listed? If so, then anything other than a like-for-like repair would, of course, require Listed Building Consent.

 

[essexbearhunter]

Just a quick thought:

If the chimney is structurally safe but may be leaking air, you could try inserting a metal flexible liner. The original stack becomes little more than a housing and would get you quickly (and fairly cheaply) to the point where you can find out if you have a problem with the chimney design rather than construction.

A further thought:
Comparing it to the internal working of a carburettor, where fuel is induced up the main jet from the float bowl beneath by the creation of a low pressure area around the top of the jet, you may find that one of the revolving chimney cowls could help. It is possible that (due to surrounding buildings or whatever ) airflow across the top of the pot is encouraged down your chimney, preventing air from rising.

A cowl (with its' blank side pointing into the wind) might lift this air over the pot and the partial vacuum created on the leeward side should induce air flow up the chimney.

This could be tried with little disruption to your internal decor...and a candle/smoke bomb test after rough fitting of the liner could tell you if you were on the right track before you go to the trouble of properly mating it to the fire.

Food for thought.

 

[Flyfisher]

Along similar lines, we had an H-pot fitted to one house to improve the chimney draw. Apparently it works by increasing the suction effect (Bernoulii?) of the wind due to the effectively increased surface area of the chimney opening. Whatever the science, it worked quite well. it also had the advantage that no rain could get into the chimney either.

But I agree Penners suggestions first. A cold chimney can take a while to warm up and draw effectively. Think of the 'plug' of cold air in the chimney that the just-lit fire has to displace before the smoke can rise. Against that, it can sometimes be easier for the smoke to just spill into the room. But persevere and get the chimney warm and things can change dramatically for the better.

I often poke a couple of sheets of newspaper up a cold chimney and light it, which usually forces out the plug of cold air. The fire then works OK without spilling smoke.

Chimneys and open fires can have a character all of their own and generally repay a little perseverence in getting to know them.

 

[Moo]

We couldn't get our old solid-fuel Aga to light without first warming the chimney. Tried lots of things, but eventually found that a gas poker did the trick.

 

[Penners]

I often poke a couple of sheets of newspaper up a cold chimney and light it, which usually forces out the plug of cold air.

But have the chimney swept first, otherwise it could warm up rather more than intended! :shock:

 

[Flyfisher]

Yes, I agree. Moo's gas poker would probably be a safer way of getting a blast of warm air up the chimney, but I don't have one.

I wonder if a heat-gun would do the same job, but have never tried one.

 

[Nemesis]

A powerful electric fan heater, pointed up the chimney.

 

[Penners]

I suppose any heat source would eventually have the desired effect. But I tend to agree with Nemesis that the best results will be obtained from one with a substantial output.

A trickle of warm air probably wouldn't stay warm for long enough to affect the full height of the chimney.

 

[showqa]

Thanks folks.

No, my house isn't listed just pretty old and - well - pretty!

The structural man was an engineer from a local consultancy. He said that it had cracked and delfected 8 courses down from the top, and needed rebuilidng from that point, but that in his opinion it was also far too high/thin and ugly (which is true).

The bricks, we've been told, are really intended for intermal work like school gyms (clearly totally out of character). Someone else has advised putting braces around it and rendering it.

 

[Penners]

Rebuilding eight courses won't break the bank, will it?

 

[showqa]

Well hopefully not, except of the height of the thing requiring considerable scaffolding. BUT just rebuilding the top 8 courses doesn't solve the problem of the very ugly chimney.

 

[skier-hughes]

Wasn't it this ugly when you bought the house?

 

[Penners]

In what way is it ugly? Do you mean inside or outside the house?

Any chance of pictures?

 

[Penners]

Wasn't it this ugly when you bought the house?

Well, maybe, but I was this ugly when my wife married me.

People get carried away.

 

[skier-hughes]

Get caught out by the inner charm........ But what's Mrs P's excuse :wink:

 

[Penners]

Myopia.... or alcohol... or both.