Old house, old chimney

14 years ago

House was built in 1885; the chimney used to vent a coal fireplace & furnace. Heat was changed to oil, probably in the 1930s - 40s. A hot water/boiler baseboard system was installed in the late 1990s. We bought the house in 2002. We do not intend to use the chimney for venting anything else but heat - we installed a tankless hot water system earlier this month.

The brick chimney is crumbling in the attic. We had a mason look at it & he said there is too much condensation in it (my interpretation of what he said). He gave us a quote that included additional flashing around the chimney on the roof, 2 chimney caps and the application of Speedcrete followed by Conprocco to the outside of the chimney in the attic.

My question to all - if we are going to use the chimney to vent only the boiler do we need chimney caps? And do you think applying the two products to the outside of the chimney in the attic is necessary? It looks rather messy but we do not plan to use the third floor attic for anything but storage.

I agree with him about the additional flashing on the roof and I am looking for opinions on the necessity of chimney caps and the application of the two products on the chimney inside the attic. We live in the cold Northeast by the way.

Thanks!

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Comments (8)

hautinglu
14 years ago
I have a similiar problem -- 3 chimneys: 1 is closed off inside, 1 is for a fireplace (not used), and 1 is for venting of an oil furnace.

I think I would definitely go at least with a cap. This will keep water out of from running down the chimney. Most importantly, it will keep squirrels and other animals out it. Before it started snowing, I went up to take a look and found a squirrel nest in the fireplace chimney. As soon as it gets warm enough, I plan on capping the two unused ones.
larke
14 years ago
Another question might apply - is your roof vented at all? That could explain the moisture if it was a build-up from heat, vs rain coming in. Vents are important!
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antiquesilver
14 years ago
The cap is a good idea. I've never had squirrels but birds can be a problem in a chimney; I'm sure I have a family living in one of mine judging by the noise in the unused fireplace.
fenestrationman
14 years ago
Did the crumbling chimney just become an issure recently? If so, is it possible that the new boiler is a high efficient type? The reason that I ask, is, that some years ago, I needed to replace my furnace in another house. When I asked the plumber about venting it up the chimney, he stated that he would have to line the flue due to the high moisture content from the new furnace may deteriorate the mortar in the chimney.
I opted to use PVC pipe, and vent to the outside throught the foundation wall.
wifetojoeiii
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for all the responses - to answer some of the above - the chimney crumbling has been existent since we moved in - 2002. The boiler/furnace is not a high efficiency - good for the chimney, not my heat bill. The chimney is not lined. I know that if we ever go to a high efficeincy furnace we will need to line the chimney.

We put vents in the attic 4 years ago - none before that.

I think the consensus is that a chimney cap is a good idea - for both water & nest building creatures. Any comments on applying the Speedcrete & conprocco to the exposed brick in the attic? Is there something I can apply that would do the same thing? I am wondering how big an issue the crumbling brick is, or if it is mainly an aesthetic problem.
brickeyee
14 years ago
Over sized flues can cause excessive condensation, and the lack of a liner only makes the damage worse.

You might consider having a stainless liner installed of the correct size for the equipment connected to the chimney.
slateberry
14 years ago
Applying two layers of stuff to your chimney may or may not be a good thing. You might try posting about that on the fireplaces forum and see what you get.

I live in a house where many layers have been added in various places. In some cases, this was fine, in other cases, the wrong thing was used, and it created a lot of work/headache for me. So I have a strong bias toward doing a lot of research before adding any layer to anything. Often proper maintenance/restoration eliminates the need for another layer. So it's good you're asking around before you proceed.
mainegrower
14 years ago
If the deterioration of the brick is really due to excessive moisture in the chimney flue, adding a coating to the exterior will do nothing to solve the problem. It may, in fact, make it worse. The only cure would be lining the chimney. Here you have two choices: a stainless steel liner or a poured in place liner. The latter will actually strengthen an old unlined chimney because the material bonds to the chimney interior and becomes an integral part of it. There are at least three companies. Supaflu (www.supaflu.com) is the only one I've had direct, positive experience with.

If you're having difficulty with rain or assorted creatures entering the chimney, a cap may be worthwhile. If you haven't had any of these problems, I'd say it's unnecessary.

If the flashing around the chimney needs replacement, by all means have it done, but I'd certainly pass on any interior coating unless a liner is installed first.