Mike Haduck, a master mason, in NE Pennsylvania but now in Florida, has a couple of video on him repair chimney crowns. He’s not a chimney guy, but he says he won’t build mason or brick lined chimneys because they all fail, with many of the clay liners cracking, and falling back into the fire chamber. He says a proper installed stainless steel lined chimney, or an old fashion stone chimney is the only failure proof. He’s worth watching, like his part 13 and others. I had an video camera inspection of my 3 pipe chimney (2 fireplaces and 1 appliance duct), and despite being a high quality build chimney for a home builder which was his house, the brick and mason chimney is cracked after 60 years. I think you can clean or scrub the lining if the built up isn’t glued to the lining, but the cracks can be a problem. The smoke can leak through the cracks into living space, especially the appliance duct with the hot water and hydronic boiler operating while you’re sleeping, and soot into living space over time. You take chances on the severity of the cracks, like small door seal gaps won’t impact interior heating, but if the gaps are big enough, you’re heating the outdoors in the house. The mortar seams, in most chimneys, are cracked from heat, moisture, and rain intrusion if the crown is defective. Bottom line, the 2 inspections came with 2 lining quotes - $16,000 and $31,000, 3 pipes and repairing or replacing the roof brick tower that is weather and water damaged.
Good video, crazy because my clay flu tile that's at the very top sticking out of the crown had two cracks and I could see the residue on the outside from seeping through. Old 1976 home, I just replaced the top flu tile since I was pouring a new concrete crown and will be installing a stainless liner for my wood insert.
Interesting demonstration! Thanks. I would like to add, the method of how you burn and the design of the stove also can mitigate any creosote problems. When burned properly, a stove designed to burn hot and clean (masonry heater) Including burning ALL the fuel, even the smoke, leaves little remaining in the flue gasses to condense on the relatively cooler flue tiles. Thereby reducing or even eliminating the risk entirely. That is why shutting down an old school stove to smolder all night is the worst practice because it produces the most smoke and the coolest temperatures for all of that to condense on the flue tiles. A stove design with an insulated firebox keeps the fire hot to burn clean. Extract the heat from the fluegases downstream of the fire to heat your home. The now clean and hot fluegases can be routed through a heat exchanger such as a masonry bench to store the energy for slow emission into your dwelling over time.
We're did you you go to school Terra catta tile flue pipes are the most safest when they are are in a chimney they repell creosote and handle the heat better than any steel or stainless steel flue pipe and last a lot longer
Great demonstration but with poured concrete surrounding the tile it would be protected as the heat would sink through the tile into the surrounding concrete. Even better line the flue with steel pipe
Ummm, your demonstration isn't accurate though, chimney tile is insulated, it has some sort of block or stone around it, with an air gap. They're not exposed to the cold like in your demonstration. I would not burn wood in a clay tile chimney by any means.
Mike Haduck, a master mason, in NE Pennsylvania but now in Florida, has a couple of video on him repair chimney crowns. He’s not a chimney guy, but he says he won’t build mason or brick lined chimneys because they all fail, with many of the clay liners cracking, and falling back into the fire chamber. He says a proper installed stainless steel lined chimney, or an old fashion stone chimney is the only failure proof. He’s worth watching, like his part 13 and others.
I had an video camera inspection of my 3 pipe chimney (2 fireplaces and 1 appliance duct), and despite being a high quality build chimney for a home builder which was his house, the brick and mason chimney is cracked after 60 years. I think you can clean or scrub the lining if the built up isn’t glued to the lining, but the cracks can be a problem. The smoke can leak through the cracks into living space, especially the appliance duct with the hot water and hydronic boiler operating while you’re sleeping, and soot into living space over time. You take chances on the severity of the cracks, like small door seal gaps won’t impact interior heating, but if the gaps are big enough, you’re heating the outdoors in the house. The mortar seams, in most chimneys, are cracked from heat, moisture, and rain intrusion if the crown is defective.
Bottom line, the 2 inspections came with 2 lining quotes - $16,000 and $31,000, 3 pipes and repairing or replacing the roof brick tower that is weather and water damaged.
Good video, crazy because my clay flu tile that's at the very top sticking out of the crown had two cracks and I could see the residue on the outside from seeping through. Old 1976 home, I just replaced the top flu tile since I was pouring a new concrete crown and will be installing a stainless liner for my wood insert.
Interesting demonstration! Thanks. I would like to add, the method of how you burn and the design of the stove also can mitigate any creosote problems. When burned properly, a stove designed to burn hot and clean (masonry heater) Including burning ALL the fuel, even the smoke, leaves little remaining in the flue gasses to condense on the relatively cooler flue tiles. Thereby reducing or even eliminating the risk entirely. That is why shutting down an old school stove to smolder all night is the worst practice because it produces the most smoke and the coolest temperatures for all of that to condense on the flue tiles. A stove design with an insulated firebox keeps the fire hot to burn clean. Extract the heat from the fluegases downstream of the fire to heat your home. The now clean and hot fluegases can be routed through a heat exchanger such as a masonry bench to store the energy for slow emission into your dwelling over time.
We're did you you go to school Terra catta tile flue pipes are the most safest when they are are in a chimney they repell creosote and handle the heat better than any steel or stainless steel flue pipe and last a lot longer
Mike Haduck videos; he’s a master mason, and he seen many clay lining failures. He won’t built them.
Can that be repaired,and if so is it a big process. And is it a expense fix?
Surprising, though I wonder how this differs in a brick chimney, with much less convective heat loss. Either way, that was unexpected.
How about an insulated liner how would that work out? Thanks for the video
Great information. Thanks.
When the chimney explodes does it level the house?
Great demonstration but with poured concrete surrounding the tile it would be protected as the heat would sink through the tile into the surrounding concrete. Even better line the flue with steel pipe
I bet he installs ALOT of stainless steel inserts!
i can only evor get chreasolt to make a light powdery build up get alot of it. but not the thick tar type
Very informative. So if you find cracked ones in the middle of the chimney what do you do? Are they removable?
Have UT cleaned and put in a stainless steel lining in and its done
Ummm, your demonstration isn't accurate though, chimney tile is insulated, it has some sort of block or stone around it, with an air gap. They're not exposed to the cold like in your demonstration. I would not burn wood in a clay tile chimney by any means.
You would not recommend using a wood burning fireplace with a terracotta flue liner? Even if it was in good condition?
So you wouldn’t burn wood in a fireplace built to burn wood?
Good test good info thanks
good reaSon never to use a chimney service