I live in a very old house, early eighteen hundreds and am having chimney problems.I have an oil fired furnace. At the end of last winter the chimney stopped drawing and was filling the house with smoke. Because it was the end of heating season, I put off doing anything about it until recently. I was able to clean what I thought to be the blockage from the chimney but today smoke started backing up into the house again. It isn't anything like it was. The flue from the furnace runs into a square hole that has been cut into the chimney and there is a gap all around the round pipe. I'm wondering if there is a material that I can use to fill this gap that can be easily removed to be able to clean the crud that falls down the chimney? Something other than cement?

To be honest, you can get by with packing it with regular old house hold fiberglass insulation for what you are wanting to do (temporarily). Of course take the paper off of it.

Now for what I think you already know, you need major work on that chimney. A well built chimney last just about as long as a person depending on usage and such. If you let me know where you are located I can probably find a chimney sweep who will come out and evaluate the situation. But be aware they are going to tell you that you need major work. At least that's what I'm assuming. The one thing you need to make clear to anyone who comes out is that you are not going to decide on anything while they are there. My business email address is: themerrysweep@bellsouth.net

I've been inspecting, sweeping and repairing chimneys for 36 years.

or feel free to use my 'gun' address:
blume357@bellsouth.net

Hire a licensed and insured contractor.

Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors

This is the sort of thing that calls for professional help for two reasons, one is the house is old and two the consequences of a chimney fire are significant. This time of year they can be pretty busy. You can at least get an estimate of cost to repair. That should not be too expensive. Other members may have better advice.

Thanks for the replies. The chimney was actually rebuilt a few years ago, at least the external part. My house is made of stone but the chimney is brick. I was thinking maybe the metal flue from the furnace didn’t extend quite far enough into the chimney opening and a bit of smoke is escaping back into the house. That’s why I was going to try and seal around the pipe before I went any further. If that doesn’t solve my problem I will go onto the next step but I’m not sure whether I need furnace repairman or a chimney sweep. Blume9mm I’m located in Maryland if you have a chimney sweep recommendation.

Was the house filling with actual smoke or did you just have an oily smell in the house? If you had visible smoke in the house, regardless of repairs needed to the chimney you need to have your oil company come out to clean and service your furnace ASAP.

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Originally posted by ryan81986:
Was the house filling with actual smoke or did you just have an oily smell in the house? If you had visible smoke in the house, regardless of repairs needed to the chimney you need to have your oil company come out to clean and service your furnace ASAP.

There is smoke in the house but it isn’t coming from the furnace itself. It is coming from the base of the chimney where the exhaust pipe from the furnace runs into the chimney.

Substantial risk for house fire. Please tread carefully.

If it is an option, might consider having a mason rebuild and brick closed the firebox and install ventless logs. If done properly it should negate the upstream issues.

You need to have your oil company come out and service the furnace in addition to having the chimney checked. And as others have stated, make sure your CO detectors are functioning.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
Substantial risk for house fire. Please tread carefully.

If it is an option, might consider having a mason rebuild and brick closed the firebox and install ventless logs. If done properly it should negate the upstream issues.

The chimney has two separate flues, one that runs to the basement and the second that the two fireplaces use. I don’t use either fireplace so they are not the problem.

I live in a similar house. Is there a cleanout on the chimney? In my case the brick decided to shed a bunch and clogged the chimney. as for the gaps, furnace cement.

quote:

Originally posted by GA Gator:
Hire a licensed and insured contractor.

Make sure you have carbon monoxide detectors

This..be safe

Although I have been out of the chimney business for a few years I can say with certainty you have big issues. Without an inspection you either have an improperly vented furnace (furnace vented into an existing fireplace flue) or broken flue tiles.
Either situation from a safety standpoint would require the installation of a stainless steel chimney liner.
A properly installed liner (I always used ventinox VFT welded stainless liners) must be properly sized for the height of your chimney and the BTU rating of your furnace. It must also run seamlessly with the exception of the T connector top to bottom. It should also be insulated with either thermix or a ceramic wool blanket.
I would recommend a CSIA certified chimney sweep. They are a nationally recognized agency familiar with all national codes. You can look up certified sweeps on the CSIA website.
If you have questions feel free to drop me an email

quote:

Originally posted by vandrv:
Thanks for the replies. The chimney was actually rebuilt a few years ago, at least the external part. My house is made of stone but the chimney is brick. I was thinking maybe the metal flue from the furnace didn’t extend quite far enough into the chimney opening and a bit of smoke is escaping back into the house. That’s why I was going to try and seal around the pipe before I went any further. If that doesn’t solve my problem I will go onto the next step but I’m not sure whether I need furnace repairman or a chimney sweep. Blume9mm I’m located in Maryland if you have a chimney sweep recommendation.

First,
you may be on the right track with sealing around the breach between the chimney and connecting pipe... it being open will reduce the draft in the pipe and could cause the products of combustion to spill back.

What concerns me is the debris you said fell down the chimney... this could be from two things: it could be from what I usually see... idiot masons (but I repeat myself) who when rebuilding the chimney above the roof probably dropped a lot of mortar down the flue and did not clean this out.. the second potential problem is you said the 100+ year old chimney had the exterior rebuilt.. what about the 100+ year old bricks and mortar below this that were not addressed.. if this is what I call an unlined chimney with just brick and mortar then that is what is falling down... even if it has a clay flue liner, more than likely that liner is failing... oil soot is highly corrosive and even more so when mixed with water....
Oh and ffemt44 above is right... CSIA is a good direction to go to look for a chimney sweep to evaluate your situation. Or you could call Jerry Neal of SugarLoaf and ask him for someone in your area. He's in Barnesville, MD at (301) 972-8558 tell him Blume is asking .. we are buddies.

Thanks for all the replies. To answer your questions, first there is no clean out, which is why I don’t want to cement the pipe in. I think I will first try putting some household insulation around the gap as Blume suggests. If that doesn’t solve the problem, the next step is a chimney guy. I’ve had problems over the years with bricks falling down the chimney and blocking it. I’ve since had the chimney rebuilt so hopefully that is no longer a problem. I finally got my nephew to get up on the roof and we ran a chunk of steel down the chimney to make sure there was no blockage. For the most part, it draws well but there is a bit of obvious smoke escaping around the gap where the pipe runs into the chimney.
Blume, I’m not close to Barnesville, and have received a couple of recommendations on chimney guys, but if insulation doesn’t solve my problem, I might give your friend a call.
In a lot ways having the house burn down might be the best solution.

I doubt very seriously you are in danger of burning the house down... heat from the oil exhaust probably dissipates pretty quickly. Also, an actual chimney fire from it is not likely. Breathing the exhaust is more of the concern... but you'd probably have to lock yourself in the house and have a complete blockage for that to happen. The good and bad thing about an oil burner is even though carbon monoxide is odorless, you can for sure smell the other items mixed in with it. If you have a recommendation of a chimney sweep, that is the way to go. Because of how I know some of 'us' work is the reason I suggested letting them know up front you are not going to decide on anything while they are there. There are businesses both sweep and others that will drive you crazy 'asking for the sale'... won't leave for hours.

ffemt44 probably knows more about oil... sounds like he dealt with it a lot. I have not in years, we are mostly gas furnaces down here and just about all of them have been converted to Category III or IV which means they are vented out with PVC pipe. I did do a good bit of relining and lining back in my hay days.... in fact I got an award from Ventinox back in the 80's for installing so much.

quote:

Originally posted by vandrv:
Thanks for the replies. The chimney was actually rebuilt a few years ago, at least the external part. My house is made of stone but the chimney is brick. I was thinking maybe the metal flue from the furnace didn’t extend quite far enough into the chimney opening and a bit of smoke is escaping back into the house. That’s why I was going to try and seal around the pipe before I went any further. If that doesn’t solve my problem I will go onto the next step but I’m not sure whether I need furnace repairman or a chimney sweep. Blume9mm I’m located in Maryland if you have a chimney sweep recommendation.

Get a professional out. Carbon Monoxide gas kills a lot of people. Something like this, is something you don't want to try to fix yourself and guess at it.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by vandrv:
Thanks for the replies. The chimney was actually rebuilt a few years ago, at least the external part. My house is made of stone but the chimney is brick. I was thinking maybe the metal flue from the furnace didn’t extend quite far enough into the chimney opening and a bit of smoke is escaping back into the house. That’s why I was going to try and seal around the pipe before I went any further. If that doesn’t solve my problem I will go onto the next step but I’m not sure whether I need furnace repairman or a chimney sweep. Blume9mm I’m located in Maryland if you have a chimney sweep recommendation.

Get a professional out. Carbon Monoxide gas kills a lot of people. Something like this, is something you don't want to try to fix yourself and guess at it.

I contacted a chimney sweep tody. For some reason the chimney is not drawing at all now. There has to be some kind of blockage but why it draws sometimes and not others is a mystery to me.
I'm not really worried about carbon monoxide poisoning, since the house fills up with smoke and I have to shut the furnace off long before carbon monoxide takes over.

When I used to work for a mason we would build and repair fireplaces and chimneys. Most repairs were done on chimneys that used oil. The soot seeps in-between the brick and mortar and loosens them.
Anyway, we ran into a problem once where the chimney on the fireplace we built was not high enough even though built to code. We raised the chimney 2 more feet and solved the problem. It was a strange occurrence.
It possible that is all you need to do.
Masons should also smooth out the mortar in-between the flues.