Existing Chimney Concerns

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patdale

Member
Mar 17, 2012
54
MD
I was up in my attic today taking a look around. I have a Duravent double wall chimney pipe and I noticed that where it goes through the roof decking on one side, the pipe is right up against the wood. The sticker on the pipe clearly says a two in. air space from combustibles so this concerns me.

Another issue I saw is that where the pipe comes through the ceiling below there is some sort of aluminum flashing that is sealed around the edge of the pipe with spray foam. Is this normal? I don't know if there is drywall wall underneath the flashing since it goes through a void next to a closet.

I think I could easily cut the roof decking away from the pipe but I'm not sure what I will find under the aluminum flashing.

The house is 15 years old and I know that the previous owners have heated with wood and there has not been any issues yet.

Suggestions? Thanks!
 
Good for checking. The foam does not sound right. Can you post a picture or two so that we can see what you are seeing?
 
Here are some pictures. Also found a leak that looks like it is coming from the lower corner area of the chimney flashing.
 

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Oy, not a good install. Looks like you will need some top of the roof pictures too. Is it safely accessible?

I'd want to inspect the whole thing, but by what is showing it's looking like the best plan might be to pull it all out and reinstall with a new flashing if necessary. Can you post the ceiling side of the support box?
 
I can get pics of the roof side tomorrow.

Do you mean the support box where the stove pipe connects? The stove pipe actually goes through the basement ceiling with two 45 deg. bends and connects to the chimney at the first floor and goes up through a void where i cannot access it until it comes into the attic. So i don't think there is a support box at all unless it is somewhere I cannot see.
 
Here are some more pics. You can see where the stove pipe goes through the ceiling then connects to the chimney at the first floor.
 

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Whole dang thing looks wrong!

The black double wall is not supposed to be used anywhere where you are not looking at the stove AND that black pipe at the same time! This means in the room, not in a confined space above the ceiling. The angle of it is too steep also. The wood needs cut back from the other galvanized chimney.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but IMHO it looks like it needs to be 100% ripped out and then planned and done correctly - and I am fairly certain of this prognosis!
 
Sounds like an expensive endeavor. Some demo would have to happen to be able to access everything. It has been like this for years with no issues and the previous owners relied on wood heat only but I assume that I can't be confident this will always be the case.
 
Just as soon as that flue is to pass through the first wall or ceiling it encounters, there is to be a support box and a transition from stovepipe (connector pipe) to Class A chimney pipe. Class A chimney pipe, BTW, is not available in a 45° elbow...only 15° and 30°. That whole installation is wrong in so many ways. Yes, fixing it will cost some $$$...but not as much as replacing your home. Rick
 
Bummer, I don't know if it is even possible to fix it because of where the chimney is if I can't get a 45 deg. chimney elbow. I worked so hard the last year gathering wood and now I may not even be able to enjoy it.
 
There's not likely more than a few homes that've ever been built that a woodburning appliance can't be safely & correctly fitted into somehow. This one was not correctly installed, but start with a blank slate...tell us all about the house & put up lots & lots of pictures. Perhaps if we open up our mental solution spaces we'll find that with a little relocation & rerouting of things, it can be done and done correctly. (sorry for the bad news, but we gotta call 'em as we see 'em). Rick
 
That's a mess, but I'm glad you have taken shots of this. I can't believe a house was sold with this defect. Whoever put in this mess did not know what he was doing. You might want to check with your realtor to see if your state offers legal recourse.

Hang in there. From what I can see the class A section needs to be redone correctly. That's a pain, but doable. Then, (process thinking here), would it be possible to move the hearth over a few feet to the right so that the stove sat under the class A pipe? If so, and the existing choice was torn out, then a proper ceiling support box was installed, it looks like you can make things legal and safe. That might not be the only option, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

I'm sure there's a solution here, it just needs to be thought out. It looks like a false dropped ceiling area (in white) was installed over the stove. If the hearth can't be moved, then you could possibly tear out the entire false ceiling, install a proper ceiling support box and have the offset go to it unenclosed.
 
That's a mess, but I'm glad you have taken shots of this. I can't believe a house was sold with this defect. Whoever put in this mess did not know what he was doing. You might want to check with your realtor to see if your state offers legal recourse.

Hang in there. From what I can see the class A section needs to be redone correctly. That's a pain, but doable. Then, (process thinking here), would it be possible to move the hearth over a few feet to the right so that the stove sat under the class A pipe? If so, and the existing choice was torn out, then a proper ceiling support box was installed, it looks like you can make things legal and safe. That might not be the only option, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.

I'm sure there's a solution here, it just needs to be thought out. It looks like a false dropped ceiling area (in white) was installed over the stove. If the hearth can't be moved, then you could possibly tear out the entire false ceiling, install a proper ceiling support box and have the offset go to it unenclosed.


Is even the bottom of the class A done incorrectly? I think I could fix everything in the attic.

The white ceiling area is a bulkhead for ductwork but there is nothing in the area of where the stovepipe goes through. The hearth could be moved over and I want to redo it anyways. It would then sit partially under the window. Is that a problem?

The class A pipe is directly above the foundation wall so even in the stove was underneath it, I would still have angles to contend with.

Thanks for all the help everyone!
 
I am going to try and get someone out here soon to take a look at it and determine what my options are.
 
Excellent. Keep in touch with us here...this is an interesting (if unfortunate) situation. Rick
 
Hey Pat.

Don't dispair. I am certain this can be fixed. Those who have replied to your post are extremely knowledgeable. They are PROS in the wood burning world.

How long ago did you purchase the house? Where I live there are recourses for major damage/risky situations that do not meet code (wiring, cracked foundations with water infiltration, etc). As has been suggested, contact your real estate agent. There's not much the previous owner can say when the installation specs are put in front of him other than "oh Sh$t".

Andrew
 
I am going to try and get someone out here soon to take a look at it and determine what my options are.

Good plan. There's a good chance that many of the parts are reusable in a proper configuration. Let us know if you need help finding a qualified installer.

Also, what stove make/model is this, Century? To be thorough, it would be good to confirm that the hearth has the proper R value for the stove while checking. If it just needs ember protection then it's fine.
 
Hey Pat.

Don't dispair. I am certain this can be fixed. Those who have replied to your post are extremely knowledgeable. They are PROS in the wood burning world.

How long ago did you purchase the house? Where I live there are recourses for major damage/risky situations that do not meet code (wiring, cracked foundations with water infiltration, etc). As has been suggested, contact your real estate agent. There's not much the previous owner can say when the installation specs are put in front of him other than "oh Sh$t".

Andrew

We purchased the house last June. We are the 5th owners in 15 years and I think the stove was installed by the first owners so I don't know if we would have any luck there but I will look into it.

Thanks again for all the great help everyone!
 
There is no way that this installation would have passed a new home inspection. Check the labels on the pipe and UL label on the stove to see if they have a date.

Not to scare you, but I would look the house over well for other shortcuts taken. Whoever did this was not at all safety conscious. If there were any retrofits or upgrades done, that's where I'd look, starting with the electrical panel.
 
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There is no way that this installation would have passed a new home inspection. Check the labels on the pipe and UL label on the stove to see if they have a date.

Not to scare you, but I would look the house over well for other shortcuts taken. Whoever did this was not at all safety conscious. If there were any retrofits or upgrades done, that's where I'd look, starting with the electrical panel.

The only breakers added to the electrical panel are for 3 ceiling fans that were installed in the bedrooms. There is an open junction box in the attic where all the wires running from them go to.

Trust me I have found some stupid stuff already. The dryer vent was disconnected and was dumping all the lint back underneath the kitchen floor!
 
Ah, that's good. Our house had a "remodel" in 1984 and they did all sorts of bad work, then buried it in the walls.

Your stove situation looks solvable. It won't be the first (or last) tear out and redo that we've seen. Last year we had a somewhat similar situation that was done by an hvac "pro" who thought he knew what he was doing. It had to be rebuilt as well. Keep us posted with what you find out and feel free to ask questions as they arise.
 
The stove is from 2007 but I know it is not original since the neighbor said they used to have a NC 30 in here. I don't see any dates on the pipe. The house was built in 97 but the stove/chimney was put in at a later date. How long has Dura-vent been around?
 
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