Table of Contents
How do you test a chimney flue?
How do I know if my chimney flue is open?
Before lighting a fire, you can tell if the damper is open by placing your hand into the fireplace. If you feel a draft coming down the chimney, it is a good indicator that the damper is open. If you don’t feel any cold air coming down the chimney, it means that the damper is closed.
How do I make sure my chimney is safe?
5 Easy Steps to Make Sure Your Fireplace Is Safe #1 Examine the Firebox. Look for any cracks, gaps, or signs of wear in the lining of the firebox (the interior of the fireplace). #2 Look for Telltale Smoke Stains. #3 Make Sure Your Grate Is the Right Size. #4 Check the Chimney. #5 Double-Check Your Fire Extinguisher.
What Is a flue flow test?
It informs you how to assess whether the flue in the chimney, the connecting fluepipe (and flue gas passages in the appliance) are free of obstruction and acceptably gas tight. Tests on flues should be carried out at the most appropriate time during the building work.
What color should chimney smoke be?
The exhaust coming from the top of the chimney should be perfectly clear or white with steam. A plume of blue or gray smoke indicates that you have a problem.
Is it OK to leave the flue open overnight?
The smoke from burning wood contains carbon monoxide, so in order to prevent this toxic byproduct from entering your home, it is important to leave the flue open overnight. This enables a draft to carry the compound out into the atmosphere, instead of sinking down the chimney and saturating the room.
What happens if flue is closed?
Operating the fireplace with the damper partially closed will not generate more heat. Instead, blocking the passage through the flue will result in smoke entering the home. The damper should be kept open until all embers are finished burning to prevent smoke from escaping into the home.
How do you know if the damper is open or closed?
A visual check is one of the surest ways of checking whether the damper is open or not. Simply stick your head in the fireplace and look up. If you have a throat damper, the closed damper immediately above your head will block your vision. You should be able to reach up and touch the closed damper.
How do you test if your chimney is blocked?
Signs of a blocked chimney and its flue liner include: An excessive smell of smoke during a fire. A white residue on the walls of the flue liner. Water leakage. Debris falling towards the base of the fireplace.
Why is my smoke not going up chimney?
Smoke sometimes won’t go up a chimney because there is a column of cold air in the chimney flue that pushes the smoke back into the home. The most common way to prime a chimney flue is to roll up newspaper to create a torch, light it, and then hold it up toward the damper.
What is the difference between a chimney flue and damper?
The flue is where the smoke escapes when the fire is going. Dampers are placed inside of the flue to help control ventilation. Your damper should have a chain or handle that you can access in order to open and close it.
How do you inspect a fireplace chimney and stove?
According to the Standards, the inspector is required to inspect: readily accessible and visible portions of the fireplaces and chimneys; lintels above the fireplace openings; damper doors by opening and closing them, if readily accessible and manually operable; and cleanout doors and frames.
Do creosote logs really work?
Many homeowners wonder if the chimney sweep logs or creosote sweeping logs really work to clean out fireplace flues and get rid of creosote residue so that the fireplaces are safe to use. The short answer is no, they don’t work.
What does chimney creosote look like?
Creosote is the black or brown residue that forms as a result of wood-burning fires inside a fireplace. It can be crusty, flaky, drippy, sticky, shiny, or hard.
What is flue integrity?
VERIFY FLUE INTEGRITY. Analyser readings indicate that combustion products and inlet air are mixing. Further investigation of the flue is therefore required. Check that flue components are correctly assembled, fixed and supported as per boiler/flue manufacturer’s instructions.
What is a balanced flue?
Balanced flues are used with gas stoves and fires and consist of two pipes, with one resting inside the other. The inside pipe serves the purpose of removing any waste gases outside your property, and the outer pipe draws in vital air from outside that is required for the combustion process to take place.
What is a flue pig test?
To conduct a smoke test we introduce smoke into a hot flue and test that all the smoke is safely and effectively removed from the test point out into the atmosphere for a complete flue testing service.
Why is my chimney smoke black?
After fire is a result of improper burning or an oil leak. During combustion, a small amount of oil puddles in the bottom of the combustion chamber. Because it is not controlled and the fan has turned off, it quickly consumes the oxygen in the combustion chamber and produces thick clouds of black smoke.
Why is my chimney smoke blue?
Minister of Fire The Chimney will not draft enough to allow for low air setting, since the outside air temp is too warm. Fire will burn out quick and clean and still provide the small amount of heat needed.
Why is there white smoke coming from my chimney?
White Smoke Origins White smoke coming from your chimney flue is actually steam produced from condensation as a byproduct of fuel burning. According to “Modern Building Services,” a building industry journal, pluming is the term for the look of condensation clouds flowing from a chimney or flue system.
