Hi Folks.... Question for the chimney experts on a traditional open fireplace.
So here is the deal, my MIL just retired and bought a new condo down the road from us to be near her grandchildren. This condo is a mid-80s build and has a traditional full masonry chimney and open fireplace. The previous owner had the fireplace tiled in and put in a pellet stove with the pellet flue pipe running up the chimney (never heard of that?). I had suggested to her that during the home inspection she have this looked at closely and check the install permits. Doesnt seem to be any record of permits but the seller did produce an inspection report from the installing chimney company.. Hmmm fishy as in my town any install requires a final inspection by the FD not the installer.
Anyway thats irrelevant as my MIL does not want the pellet stove and had it ripped out and wants to use the open fireplace. (she has no interest at all in heating this is just ambiance). After she had a contractor rip it out I was able to get over there and take a look. See the photos below.
- First off it looks like they did a crappy job cleaning it out before the pellet install, the smoke chamber particularly is a mess. But I can sort that out with the sooteater and a lot of brushing.
- It looks like the damper plate was removed to make space for the pipe. In fact I think it was removed a long time ago as there is a bracket for one of those chimney cap type dampers. The bracket that would hold the damper operating rod is broken off, but appears I can unscrew the remainder and put in a new one.
Questions :
Can you guys see an reason I cant just get a new damper plate and control handle assembly?
Do shops like Woodsmans carry there parts?
- Its probably impossible to tell from the pictures but the condition of the masonry seems generally decent. It looks like one of the firebricks between the lintel and the front edge of the iron damper housing spalled but its not completely fallen out. The rest of the firebox brick looks good and looking up the flue iwth a strong flashlight the clay tiles look intact all the way up as best I can tell. I'll probably suggest to her to have it evaluated by a sweep for piece of mind but I also know when we bought our place and I did that the sweep only looked up with a flashlight - nothing I cant do myself- so Id value you guys input here onthings to look out for.
So here is the deal, my MIL just retired and bought a new condo down the road from us to be near her grandchildren. This condo is a mid-80s build and has a traditional full masonry chimney and open fireplace. The previous owner had the fireplace tiled in and put in a pellet stove with the pellet flue pipe running up the chimney (never heard of that?). I had suggested to her that during the home inspection she have this looked at closely and check the install permits. Doesnt seem to be any record of permits but the seller did produce an inspection report from the installing chimney company.. Hmmm fishy as in my town any install requires a final inspection by the FD not the installer.
Anyway thats irrelevant as my MIL does not want the pellet stove and had it ripped out and wants to use the open fireplace. (she has no interest at all in heating this is just ambiance). After she had a contractor rip it out I was able to get over there and take a look. See the photos below.
- First off it looks like they did a crappy job cleaning it out before the pellet install, the smoke chamber particularly is a mess. But I can sort that out with the sooteater and a lot of brushing.
- It looks like the damper plate was removed to make space for the pipe. In fact I think it was removed a long time ago as there is a bracket for one of those chimney cap type dampers. The bracket that would hold the damper operating rod is broken off, but appears I can unscrew the remainder and put in a new one.
Questions :
Can you guys see an reason I cant just get a new damper plate and control handle assembly?
Do shops like Woodsmans carry there parts?
- Its probably impossible to tell from the pictures but the condition of the masonry seems generally decent. It looks like one of the firebricks between the lintel and the front edge of the iron damper housing spalled but its not completely fallen out. The rest of the firebox brick looks good and looking up the flue iwth a strong flashlight the clay tiles look intact all the way up as best I can tell. I'll probably suggest to her to have it evaluated by a sweep for piece of mind but I also know when we bought our place and I did that the sweep only looked up with a flashlight - nothing I cant do myself- so Id value you guys input here onthings to look out for.
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