My parent had a new Buderus boiler put in five years ago. It was equipped with a Taco outdoor rest controller and "cold start". I believe that the unit only runs when there is demand for heat.
The boiler is piped into a standard single flue chimney with masonary full blocks on the outside. and stadard flue tile on the inside. There isnt a chimney cap and the total from the boiler breech to the top of the chimney is approx 20 feet. Its an interior chimney built in the sixties.
Their primary complaint is when it rains heavilly liquid leaks out from under the chimney base. It is foul stuff and looks and smells acidic. When I look into the clean out door, the tile looks deteriorated on the edges where the clean out opening was cut long ago.
I beleive I have seen reference and have heard from folks with similiar cold start boilers that this is possibility with a cold start oil unit as the exhaust gases are condensing in the chimney and forming sulfuric acid deposits. The normal solution I have heard is slip in a stainless steel liner set up for oil and install a stack cap. They asked about just putting a stack cap to keep the water out, but my personal experience is that can cause deteriation of the liner at the top of the chimney and the acid will still form.
Has anyone experienced this and how did you solve it? My father is 91 and my mother in her eighties so solid fuel is not an option. The depressing part is that there is natural gas line in the street but my mother refuses to allow gas in the house as the local gas utility had a long term reputation for houses blowing up (they currently have to replace most of their street piping due to leaks)
The boiler is piped into a standard single flue chimney with masonary full blocks on the outside. and stadard flue tile on the inside. There isnt a chimney cap and the total from the boiler breech to the top of the chimney is approx 20 feet. Its an interior chimney built in the sixties.
Their primary complaint is when it rains heavilly liquid leaks out from under the chimney base. It is foul stuff and looks and smells acidic. When I look into the clean out door, the tile looks deteriorated on the edges where the clean out opening was cut long ago.
I beleive I have seen reference and have heard from folks with similiar cold start boilers that this is possibility with a cold start oil unit as the exhaust gases are condensing in the chimney and forming sulfuric acid deposits. The normal solution I have heard is slip in a stainless steel liner set up for oil and install a stack cap. They asked about just putting a stack cap to keep the water out, but my personal experience is that can cause deteriation of the liner at the top of the chimney and the acid will still form.
Has anyone experienced this and how did you solve it? My father is 91 and my mother in her eighties so solid fuel is not an option. The depressing part is that there is natural gas line in the street but my mother refuses to allow gas in the house as the local gas utility had a long term reputation for houses blowing up (they currently have to replace most of their street piping due to leaks)
