![[Hearth.com] New Chimney Melting My Vinyl Siding [Hearth.com] New Chimney Melting My Vinyl Siding](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/176/176086-fa1116c835dea1ab1e1f988e2d9102ff.jpg?hash=b39ePLJS21)
![[Hearth.com] New Chimney Melting My Vinyl Siding [Hearth.com] New Chimney Melting My Vinyl Siding](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/176/176085-6c54f6d0f73687721a20a7c19fefadd9.jpg?hash=YK_jeRZOQ0)
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It seems to me that maybe that particular section, maybe doesn't have any insulation in it. Did you install the chimney yourself? I'm sure there would be a noticeable difference in weight between an insulated section and one without.View attachment 176061 View attachment 176060 I put up a new 8" Supervent stainless steel double wall insulated chimney last fall. I just noticed the vinyl siding behind it is starting to deform. I used their mounting kit and wall brackets. The chimney consists of a through the wall tee with six 36" sections above it. I also noticed that the first section off the tee is discolored and if you tap on it it rings like an oil drum. Behind that section is where the siding is melting. If you tap on the next section up you just hear a thud. Is it possible for the insulation in the pipe to degrade with the heat?
I did install it myself and didn't notice any weight difference.It seems to me that maybe that particular section, maybe doesn't have any insulation in it. Did you install the chimney yourself? I'm sure there would be a noticeable difference in weight between an insulated section and one without.
I would think it would take an extremely hot fire to burn the insulation to the point of no insulating properties at all!
Hopefully one of the experts will chime in on this very important issue shortly!
Maybe but I didn't notice one. I called the manufacturer, Selkirk, and he said the chimney was supposed to stand up to chimney fires and the clearance of their mounting kit should protect the house. I had the house sided last fall and right before I did that I replaced the chimney that was there since 1984 (same model chimney) I was concerned about the vinyl siding at that time but could find nothing on the internet that said it would be a problem. I also couldn't find anyone selling a mounting system that held the chimney further away from the house. My stove is a Consolidated Dutchwest large model that I put in in 1984. Cast iron with a catalytic combustor. This year we burned only Envi 8 blocks. These are made from pressed hardwood floor (oak) dust and chips. Only water and pressure used in making them. The moisture content is close to zero so the creosote formation is way less then regular seasoned wood. I do clean the chimney out after every cord or ton on this case and I am able to keep the stove temps the same as burning split wood. In the 30 years that I had the old chimney I did have a few small chimney fires that crept up the chimney. When I took it down there was no evidence of damage inside though.Possibly an undetected chimney fire at some point maybe? Hmmm
I did stop burning as soon as I noticed itI would quit burning immediately, and get a professional in to assess the situation. You know how when someone leaves the barbecue too close to a house and the siding melts or starts warping? Whatever is going on is much too hot to be happening there.
Is it my eyes, or is the chimney color changed permanently to golden/straw color from the heat?
How far is your chimney away from the siding? Might give someone smarter than me a ballpark for the temps being reached.
That maybe the case but should that destroy the chimney section. I would think that these chimneys are constructed so that they could stand up to pretty high heat. When I tap anywhere on that first section it sounds like tapping a empty paint can now. If you tap on the tee or the next section up you just hear a thud. would the heat be high enough to disintegrate the insulation?My first guess would be that you had a bunch of buildup in the tee and it caught on fire.
Thanks I was thinking of doing something like that. I already have the colormatch paint. I am going to take the chimney down to that section and replace it.Vinyl siding usually has a very low melting point- I've seen 160°F quoted as a general rule of thumb.
Find and fix the problem that led to the pipe being that hot first- maybe a creosote issue leading to chimney fire, maybe a gasket issue leading to overfires, whatever.
If you want to repair the siding, you may want to consider running a different product up behind the chimney. If it was me, I might get some J channel and end the siding run nicely to either side of the pipe, and put in Hardieplank or regular cement shingles. You can take a piece of the siding to Home Depot and ask them to colormatch it, so you can paint the cement siding the same color as the vinyl.
Plain old cement shingles are cheap and come in 2' width, which is probably a good size for that. I've never installed Hardieplank but I have heard good things about it.
And yes it did change color from the heatI did stop burning as soon as I noticed it
Thanks I was thinking of doing something like that. I already have the colormatch paint. I am going to take the chimney down to that section and replace it.
.... This year we burned only Envi 8 blocks. These are made from pressed hardwood floor (oak) dust and chips. Only water and pressure used in making them. The moisture content is close to zero so the creosote formation is way less then regular seasoned wood....
I don't think this one event would or should damage the pipe. Multiple flue fires can though.That maybe the case but should that destroy the chimney section. I would think that these chimneys are constructed so that they could stand up to pretty high heat. When I tap anywhere on that first section it sounds like tapping a empty paint can now. If you tap on the tee or the next section up you just hear a thud. would the heat be high enough to disintegrate the insulation?
Ive seen multiple times where the reflection from a window next to a vinyl sided fireplace chase actually melts the siding. It's pretty flimsy stuff! If it wasn't for the messed up chimney section I wouldn't be all too alarmed.Vinyl siding usually has a very low melting point- I've seen 160°F quoted as a general rule of thumb.
Find and fix the problem that led to the pipe being that hot first- maybe a creosote issue leading to chimney fire, maybe a gasket issue leading to overfires, whatever.
If you want to repair the siding, you may want to consider running a different product up behind the chimney. If it was me, I might get some J channel and end the siding run nicely to either side of the pipe, and put in Hardieplank or regular cement shingles. You can take a piece of the siding to Home Depot and ask them to colormatch it, so you can paint the cement siding the same color as the vinyl.
Plain old cement shingles are cheap and come in 2' width, which is probably a good size for that. I've never installed Hardieplank but I have heard good things about it.
Yes I am aware of that and turn the air down on the stove to compensate for that. I have 3 thermometers. 2 on each top corner of the stove and one on the stove pipe. Also on this stove there is a thermometer in the top plate of the stove right above the catalytic combustor. Even though the stove could be running between 300 and 400 degrees the catalytic thermometer usually runs between 750 and 1000 degrees. I don't ever load more than 6 bricks at any one time.Just in case you were unaware these things burn hotter because of that. How many and how were you loading them in your stove?
I find it odd that you would have a chimney fire burning compressed wood bricks in a cat stove, are you monitoring your flue temps? Seems to me the cat bypass/damper was left open and it burned really hot. Can you post some pics of your stove and stove pipe setup inside?
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