My co-worker has a house built in the 20's. It has a chimney running up the middle of the house. In the basement is a gas fired furnace that once was an oil and probably coal fired at one time.
He has a fireplace on the first floor in the living room.
A few years ago he had a chimney liner put in because upon inspection of his chimney by a chimney sweep it was in need on one.
He has never used his fireplace.
A few nights ago he opened his damper in his fireplace, threw some logs in and tried to start a fire. It smoldered and the smoke poured directly into his house. The damper is fully open. He looked up his chimney and can see the liner that was installed a few years prior. He told me that it goes all the way up the chimney to the top with a cap put on it. It sort of veers around his fireplace and goes straight down to his gas fire furnace exhaust where it ties into the exhaust stack of his furnace.
This leaves no room for his fireplace to vent because there is only the tiniest of space between the liner and the chimney inner walls.
He also told me that he is 99% sure that his chimney cap has 2 clay rectangular flues coming out of it with a rectangular rain cap covering both of them.
So... here are my questions...
1. Is it possible that he only has one flue even though he has a fireplace? If so, how come he didn't get fumes from the furnace into his house prior to installing the liner?
2. Is it possible that he has 2 flues but the installer put the liner in the wrong one?
3. If the liner is put in the wrong flue is it possible to run 2 liners?
We are trying to figure this out and I told him that this forum is the best place to ask.
Thanks.. John G
He has a fireplace on the first floor in the living room.
A few years ago he had a chimney liner put in because upon inspection of his chimney by a chimney sweep it was in need on one.
He has never used his fireplace.
A few nights ago he opened his damper in his fireplace, threw some logs in and tried to start a fire. It smoldered and the smoke poured directly into his house. The damper is fully open. He looked up his chimney and can see the liner that was installed a few years prior. He told me that it goes all the way up the chimney to the top with a cap put on it. It sort of veers around his fireplace and goes straight down to his gas fire furnace exhaust where it ties into the exhaust stack of his furnace.
This leaves no room for his fireplace to vent because there is only the tiniest of space between the liner and the chimney inner walls.
He also told me that he is 99% sure that his chimney cap has 2 clay rectangular flues coming out of it with a rectangular rain cap covering both of them.
So... here are my questions...
1. Is it possible that he only has one flue even though he has a fireplace? If so, how come he didn't get fumes from the furnace into his house prior to installing the liner?
2. Is it possible that he has 2 flues but the installer put the liner in the wrong one?
3. If the liner is put in the wrong flue is it possible to run 2 liners?
We are trying to figure this out and I told him that this forum is the best place to ask.
Thanks.. John G