I have a home with an exterior masonry chimney that's pulling away from the house and clearly needs attention (2 flues). I want to use the house as a rental so there will be no woodstove. The chimney will need to vent the oil fired boiler only. Would it be smart to remove the existing chimney and replace it with that snazzy stainless steel stuff?
Decision on chimney
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Buzz Saw
Minister of Fire
Do new oil boilers need a chimney? Can they be power vented like a propane furnace/boiler with a 3" PVC pipe out the wall?
I don't know,just asking. I have zero experience with oil
I don't know,just asking. I have zero experience with oil
The extant boiler is "new" (2008), has never seen use for a complete "heating season", and there is anti-freeze in the lines (3 zones). I need to address the crumbling masonry chimney and am leery of venting that may require snow removal to be effective. I am looking for a tidy solution that will ultimately allow proper venting with minimal maintenance in case of a drifting snow storm. Is that the question you were asking, Buzz.?
I can't address anything with the boiler, but can most certainly help with my opinion of the chimney. I have 35 years in the masonry trade. Most likely the footing for the chimney is failing, causing the chimney to pull away. I have seem where chimneys have done this and never moved any more, just some settling issues. What is the condition of the chimney itself? How far has it pulled away, and have you noticed the distance increasing over time?
The extant exterior (2 flue) masonry chimney is pulling away from the side of my home. Looks to be 1-11/4". I'm not sure how to check for "ties" to the house (suspect there may be none) But since the chimney is 40+ yrs. old and likely predates any "code" I'm looking for the easiest replacement that won't be a PITA if I wish to undertake a "winter rental". Make sense?
Well have it looked at by a pro. It may be able to be salvaged but it will most likely need a liner for a modern oil furnace. So I would say have a pro out and evaluate the structure. Other options would be a class a chimney or a power venter. A class a would definitely be cheaper than building a new masonry chimney but fixing and relining the existing chimney may be cheaper when you factor in the demolition of the existing one. Oil cannot be direct vented through plastic yet.
Thanks for useful information! My goal is safe/"snow-proof" ventilation for the oil-fired boiler. That's all. I want the ventilation to be as "idiot-proof" as it can be. I pay attention to routine maintenance and need to "clean up" and streamline the chimney part of the ventilation equation. That's all.
Well then no power vent. Now you just need to figure out if the chimney is worth fixing or not. You need a sweep or mason to evaluate that in person.
A 40 year old masonry flue system will be suffering from leaching at the mortar joints. Common ailment now days in the northern climates brought about by the more advanced no standing pilot appliances which allows moisture to build up in the flue system when not actively in use mixing with combustion by- products creating acid that eats at the joints. This could be in addition to a degraded/shifted footing or the root cause in itself. This started showing up in the late 80's enough to be noticed.
If you decide to rehab the chimney and the footing is settling, there is fix for the footing. Its called helical screw pile http://www.abchance.com/products/helical-piles-anchors/. The downside is that unless there is local contractor, the mobilization charge makes it expensive.
You guys rock! You ask good questions, you ask questions that require me to think and all of that leads me toward a good decision. Thanks so much.
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