Anyone familiar with brick fireplaces with storage?

[heating8]

Short of climbing up to look down, a house has two terra cotta flues a larger one for the fireplace and a smaller one that doesn't seem to come down anywhere i can figure other than the wood storage area. (Yes i looked in the basement and on the second floor and in the garage) Is there any chance that the wood storage area has make-up air? When I look up at that spot, there are some wooden slats above that are fairly tight (i.e. I can't see past them but maybe a quarter's width apart). Surely someone on here has a similar type setup.

 

[Ashful]

What is the age of this house? Any chance it is some late attempt at an oven, converted to wood storage later?

 

[heating8]

No, it's too new for that. It's not more than 35ish years old. I was surprised the brick wasn't continuous around the wood storage area to the right. I can't say i ever took a look into the top of one before, just always assumed

 

[rkshed]

The second one doesn't go all the way to the basement for the funace?

 

[ROVERT]

The second one doesn't go all the way to the basement for the funace?

That's my bet. Even if there's no furnace hooked up to it, I bet there's a crock there. It may be cemented over, but I bet it goes to the basement.

 

[Ashful]

No, it's too new for that. It's not more than 35ish years old. I was surprised the brick wasn't continuous around the wood storage area to the right. I can't say i ever took a look into the top of one before, just always assumed

Yep... that's why my original post included the word "late" and "attempt". If this house were old, they'd have known how to make an oven! Thought maybe the original owner was some old-house-cooking-in-a-wood-fired-oven romantic.

A basement flue is more likely, but should be obvious.

 

[johnsgunworks]

I agree that the wood fired oven theory would be a more interesting story! Is that an open fireplace in your living room?