Q&A 3 fireplaces in one chimney?

Question:

You sound like an expert, so I'd like to ask you a question in need of an expert answer!

I have an 1886 Victorian house which once had three downstairs fireplaces and an upstairs fireplace, all of which backed up to the same chimney. The downstairs fireplaces were each in a corner of a room, with the chimney going straight up through the middle of the house. At some point in the life of the house, the chimney was actually torn out ( I can only imagine what an undertaking that must have been!)

Well, I want my wood burning fireplaces back! (at least downstairs). Since it would be too monumental a task (if even possible) to put back masonry, I want to install a metal flue.

O.K., here finally is the question: Is there a proper and efficient way to route three modern fireplaces into a single chimney?




Answer:

Easy answer......you must use separate chimneys. The key here is that you are going to use modern fireplaces. If the house and chimneys were original, it may have worked with one but only because it was designed in from the beginning. At this point you must use 3.

By the way, the people at http://www.thevictorianfireplace.com have some nice stuff you may want to look at.

Link: The Victorian Fireplace