Creosote Contamination in Flue

[Ratmandu]

HI.
I have a different post going about a house I am buying that has two fireplaces. Both are prefab ZC fireplaces at the moment. One side was used as an insert of sorts-which resulted in a lot of creosote contamination. I have recently learned from a sweep that I sent up to have a look and to give an estimate for cleaning, that either the flue cap was on wrong or something, but the inner and outer walls of the existing flue are contaminated with creosote-and that it should not be used-unless completely rebuilt. From what I understand using this type of chimney with a liner requires the use of the inner walls to be usable to permit the cooling of the inner pipe. If the inner walls of this flue are unusable then it should nopt be used to burn wood.
Not having seen it yet myself-it is hard to validate what the sweep's opinion was-and I will be going to look shortly-but does this sound right?
If I can't use this for a wood insert without rebuilding, can I use it for a Drirect Vent gas fireplace?
I will try to get some pictures up to help. Thanks in advance.

Scott

 

[Jags]

Yes, pictures please.

 

[Ratmandu]

Alright-I finally got up to the roof and this is what I found;

Before I pulled the top section of pipe
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bXor45XccJk/SZJsu_df1tI/AAAAAAAAADU/gVJwKXwbx-A/s144/sp2.jpg
and a close up
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_bXor45XccJk/SZJsvDTckhI/AAAAAAAAADk/076fIHYeWug/s144/sp4.jpg
and after I pulled it
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_bXor45XccJk/SZJsvAVK_yI/AAAAAAAAADc/Px38GYOGvxo/s144/sp3.jpg
and a closeup
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_bXor45XccJk/SZJsuhuN6pI/AAAAAAAAADM/uG-_gfJp2KI/s144/sp1.jpg
I am definitely no expert, but it looks to me like the interior pipe could use a good cleaning-but the interior spaces of the pipe-which appears to me is triple wall pipe, is in great shape and ther is no cause for condemming it.
But like I said-I am no expert. Any thoughts-anyone?

Thanks

Scott

 

[[email protected]]

It is yucky, and I can't even imagine the nasty black stuff falling out while cleaning.........Thank god for chimney cleaners.........

 

[mtarbert]

Oven cleaners are mostly Lye...sodium hydroxide. I would be REAL careful to not get it on any iron or steel parts.

 

[pen]

Oven cleaners are mostly Lye...sodium hydroxide. I would be REAL careful to not get it on any iron or steel parts.

Depends on what you are doing. People who refinish old cast iron cookware do it with lye most often

pen

 

[Ratmandu]

All good ideas-and I agree it could use cleaning-but is that any reason to condem the chimney? Granted, I can't sse the bottom of the pipe to see if it is open-but-would chimney smoke be able to make it all the way down the air gap to form as creosot in the bottom-or is that what usually happens, or?

 

[Jags]

From those pictures I can't really see anything that would "condemn" them, but I ain't there, and I ain't a sweep. Uhhh...if your looking at installing a solid fuel appliance (i.e. wood stove), you will want to confirm that the triple wall is a class A pipe.

 

[Ratmandu]

Well-I was thinking about lining it anyway-regardless-and I was thinking the same thing about condemnation being ridiculous-so I think I will go get a second opinion from another local sweep.
Thanks for the help!