Long ago last year when I moved into this 1980’s home in Charlottesville, VA. I was pleased to see a thimble stubbed out of the chimney for a woodstove in the walkout basement. Before hooking up a stove I had the local chimney sweep inspect the flue to make sure it was usable. He stuck a flashlight in the flue and felt the draft and declared it good to go. I asked about a liner and he said it was unnecessary. A 40 foot, never used, 6x6 clay tile lined flue in a massive brick chimney. Perfect. I hooked up a used Jotul series 8 stove put my easy chair beside it and the flat screen on a table nearby and set out to enjoy the winter. This was my man cave and didn't expect the family to bother me in my corner of the basement.
The first surprise was to find that the new Trane oil over heat pump was not going to heat the house easily. This house was built southern style with a big uninsulated whole house fan, 77" high single pane windows and winter temperatures that stayed 20-40 deg. I turned the temp down in the house to 65 (62 in the bedrooms). The whole family invaded the basement where my space was warm and toasty. My wife declared it the new family room and started making plans for me to remodel it into the space she imagined, natural stone surround, oak bookcases, and a sumptuous couch. The clincher was when the power went out for three days and the only heat we had was the wood stove. The family moved in the basement where it was warm and we could cook.
The next summer I did the remodel as a good husband should. Got the room and stove inspected . Cut a couple of cords of firewood and waited for winter.
The first clue that something was wrong was when my 9 year daughter woke me up at 6:00 in the morning and said the basement was full of smoke and she couldn’t play video games. We had not had a fire in two days but the chimney had back drafted and got a couple of coals to start smoldering. It was just creepy. The next sign was when the chimney connection smoked. It would stop if I opened the window but it was time to call the sweep. I disconnected the stove and taped a plastic bag over the thimble. It was a great barometer. When the the chimney back drafted the bag inflated. When it drafted correctly the bag was sucked into the chimney. It changed when I opened the window. I set out to stop the negative pressure of the house by caulking, stopping up chases and vents, building a box over the whole house fan and a hatch for the attic steps. The chimney still backdrafted.
The sweep came and stuck his rod up the chimney and said he broke through something and it was clear now. He also declared my wood too wet and probably the problem. I told him I was not going to be happy until he could get a brush from one end of the flue to the other. He told me he would have to come back in a few days since he didn't have the ladders he needed on the truck and he would have to come in from the top.
I tried a fire that night and the flue connection smoked. It would stop mostly if I opened the window but it was still a problem. Later that night I came home to my entire family sitting in this smoke filled room watching TV. I had to chase them out and open the windows. Getting this flue to work was now a priority.
The sweep came back, climbed the roof and tried to sweep the chimney. He got 32 ft down and hit something hard he said it was a brick or something. He said, "They must have dropped a brick in the chimney when they were building it. The flue snakes around the firebox of the fireplace above it and the brick is stuck in there. You need a mason to go in the side and get it out."
He gave me the name of a mason and I called. The mason said he couldn't get out for couple of weeks but to call this other stove company and they have some tools including a camera. They should be able to take care of it.
I called the stove company and they came out in their Mercedes truck and fancy equipment, scaled the roof and stuck their camera down the flue. He got in 23 ft and said the flue seemed to end. That was the place for a mason to cut in. 17 ft above the ground.
Instead of calling the mason back I decided to take matters into my own hands and cut in a cleanout from the outside of the house. It is 36” from the thimble to where the flue goes up in back of the fireplace firebox on the floor above. Getting a brush into the flue from the thimble is problematic. The cleanout provided a good angle to get a rod up the flue. It was more like a smoke channel built out of brick with multiple shelves and corbels probably built with the firebox. I was able to get a brush on a flexible rod up the flue as far as the last corbel where the camera showed a bottom to the flue. There was lots of creasote and some other debis.
I mortared in a cast iron door on the cleanout hole and started a fire. The stove fired up beautifully and drew well. The family has adopted my mancave as their new hangout and all is right with the world.
My question is whether other people have these twisted flues and how do they clean them?
The first surprise was to find that the new Trane oil over heat pump was not going to heat the house easily. This house was built southern style with a big uninsulated whole house fan, 77" high single pane windows and winter temperatures that stayed 20-40 deg. I turned the temp down in the house to 65 (62 in the bedrooms). The whole family invaded the basement where my space was warm and toasty. My wife declared it the new family room and started making plans for me to remodel it into the space she imagined, natural stone surround, oak bookcases, and a sumptuous couch. The clincher was when the power went out for three days and the only heat we had was the wood stove. The family moved in the basement where it was warm and we could cook.
The next summer I did the remodel as a good husband should. Got the room and stove inspected . Cut a couple of cords of firewood and waited for winter.
The first clue that something was wrong was when my 9 year daughter woke me up at 6:00 in the morning and said the basement was full of smoke and she couldn’t play video games. We had not had a fire in two days but the chimney had back drafted and got a couple of coals to start smoldering. It was just creepy. The next sign was when the chimney connection smoked. It would stop if I opened the window but it was time to call the sweep. I disconnected the stove and taped a plastic bag over the thimble. It was a great barometer. When the the chimney back drafted the bag inflated. When it drafted correctly the bag was sucked into the chimney. It changed when I opened the window. I set out to stop the negative pressure of the house by caulking, stopping up chases and vents, building a box over the whole house fan and a hatch for the attic steps. The chimney still backdrafted.
The sweep came and stuck his rod up the chimney and said he broke through something and it was clear now. He also declared my wood too wet and probably the problem. I told him I was not going to be happy until he could get a brush from one end of the flue to the other. He told me he would have to come back in a few days since he didn't have the ladders he needed on the truck and he would have to come in from the top.
I tried a fire that night and the flue connection smoked. It would stop mostly if I opened the window but it was still a problem. Later that night I came home to my entire family sitting in this smoke filled room watching TV. I had to chase them out and open the windows. Getting this flue to work was now a priority.
The sweep came back, climbed the roof and tried to sweep the chimney. He got 32 ft down and hit something hard he said it was a brick or something. He said, "They must have dropped a brick in the chimney when they were building it. The flue snakes around the firebox of the fireplace above it and the brick is stuck in there. You need a mason to go in the side and get it out."
He gave me the name of a mason and I called. The mason said he couldn't get out for couple of weeks but to call this other stove company and they have some tools including a camera. They should be able to take care of it.
I called the stove company and they came out in their Mercedes truck and fancy equipment, scaled the roof and stuck their camera down the flue. He got in 23 ft and said the flue seemed to end. That was the place for a mason to cut in. 17 ft above the ground.
Instead of calling the mason back I decided to take matters into my own hands and cut in a cleanout from the outside of the house. It is 36” from the thimble to where the flue goes up in back of the fireplace firebox on the floor above. Getting a brush into the flue from the thimble is problematic. The cleanout provided a good angle to get a rod up the flue. It was more like a smoke channel built out of brick with multiple shelves and corbels probably built with the firebox. I was able to get a brush on a flexible rod up the flue as far as the last corbel where the camera showed a bottom to the flue. There was lots of creasote and some other debis.
I mortared in a cast iron door on the cleanout hole and started a fire. The stove fired up beautifully and drew well. The family has adopted my mancave as their new hangout and all is right with the world.
My question is whether other people have these twisted flues and how do they clean them?
