Thimble (?) Condition - Is this OK?

[NothingLikeWood]

I am not sure if I used the right term so please correct me if I am wrong.

Last winter because every now and then we'd get a whiff of something "creosotey" and when I would sniff the cold pipe, it was the strongest one of the screws that attached the double wall to the thimble. I ended up wrapping the space between the double wall ending and the entrance to the thimble with a gasket and that took care of it.

We cleaned out our chimney for the first time this past weekend (installed spring 2009 so last winter was our first burn). When the installers put in the connection to our thimble (double wall pipe to thimble entrance) one of the self tapping screws didn't bite and the connector got bent at that location. When we pulled the inside pipe to clean it I noticed some of the Selkirk chimney "plastic protection" had melted (see pic). The gasket had a light burn mark at that area when I unwrapped it to clean the chimney.

When reinstalling, we bent it pipe back flush to the double wall and didn't install the screw there this time. My question is, should we be concerned about this melting? The good news is that all we brushed out was black coffee grounds - about half an ice cream container full for a 17 ft run. Our wood is dryer this year.

Thanks for any help / suggestions. I learn everything from this site!

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Updated:
I guess I wasn't clear about the plastic protection. The plastic is the green part in the picture and I think is factory installed and meant to "keep the insulation protected" (during the install only?), but not sure. It covered the now visible insulation. The chimney and thimble were installed by the previous owners which can date it anywhere from a 1994 to 1999 install.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Hey I'm givin' ya a free bump. A bigger pic might help. My initial reaction to you question is that there is no problem. As long as that thimble is installed to code, I say hook up that pipe and fire away.

 

[Dune]

How many screws are left holding it together? Four is good, three is the minimum.

 

[begreen]

Can someone educate me on what Selkirk plastic protection is? I have never seen plastic anywhere near a hot pipe as being acceptable.

 

[NothingLikeWood]

I uploaded a bigger picture. Thanks for the replies and keep the opinions coming!

 

[daryl]

Well I can say I have never seen any thing like that come with the pipe. Do you have a smoke pipe adpt. for the end of the pipe or does the double wall smoke pipe just hook onto the thimble ( class A)?

 

[NothingLikeWood]

There is a short (9"?) connection piece between the double wall and the thimble. This short connection is flanged on one end (the flange catches the ring connector which is not in the picture). The other end of the connection piece is what got bent by the installer when they screwed it in (see original post).

Now I am wondering what the normal end of a class A chimney looks like. Anyone care to post a pic? Thanks in advance!

 

[northernontario]

I've got a Selkirk insulated chimney; removed it from someone's house and used it when I installed at my place (it might have had a year worth of use on it... looked like new!). All the joints have (had) that plastic, but it's mostly melted away. Best I can figure, they expect it to melt away, and the insulation to expand to meet and fill any sort of void. I wouldn't be worried about the plastic.