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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC12/14/13 10:12 PM |
OT - Dumb question about fireplace and chimney
Found a small pile of snow came down from the chimney into the fire place from the all day storm earlier! \
How did it get in here? What should I have done to prevent it? (I'm going away for a couple of weeks. Don't want to come home to see a flood of melting snows in the living room)
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/14/13 10:38 PM |
No cap up there?
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC12/15/13 10:17 AM |
There was, when the chimney got checked 2 years ago.
Never had a problem in the 2 winters past. Unless it got blown away, though there hasn't been much wind. (not easy to see without climbing up there)
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/15/13 12:02 PM |
Some times an animal can dislodge them looking for shelter. Get some binoculars and look from a far if you can.
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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal12/15/13 1:13 PM |
Amen to that, I've got some huge flying critters here that always seem to be either violently tugging at vent screens or hammering (big fat woodpeckers) loudly enough to mimic a construction crew.
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bboston75
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 367
Location: philadelphia12/15/13 4:45 PM |
Was your flue closed? In most fireplaces, the combo of the flue and smoke shelf makes it pretty hard for anything to come straight down onto the hearth. At least you know it's not blocked up by a bird or squirrel nest.
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greglepore
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 1724
Location: SE Pa, USA12/15/13 4:50 PM |
Yes, what bb said, plus if damper is open the heat that you're paying for is going right up the chimney.
BTW, the flue is the chimney "pipe". the control (door) at the bottom is the damper.
Last edited by greglepore on 12/16/13 7:43 AM; edited 1 time in total
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walter
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 4391
Location: metro-motown-area12/16/13 7:13 AM |
also verify flue's method-of-operation
most flues you "pull" the cable/mech to open, but we had a house that was reversed...you'd release the cable to open the flue...WTF?!
it took us 2 years to figure that one out!
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC12/16/13 10:10 AM |
quote:
most flues you "pull" the cable/mech to open, but we had a house that was reversed...you'd release the cable to open the flue...WTF?!
it took us 2 years to figure that one out!
How do you verify?
I had the same confusion last year, which I thought I "figured it out" ("normal" mode of pull to open). But I can't say I'm 100% sure...
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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT12/16/13 11:11 AM |
Light a few matches
Light a few wooden matches and hold them up near the inside top of the fireplace. Then blow them out. If the resulting smoke clouds up and wafts into your room, the damper is likely not open. If the smoke goes up, it probably is open. Try it with the damper set both ways so you can see if there's a difference.
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bboston75
Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 367
Location: philadelphia12/16/13 11:14 AM |
Just stick your hand up there (before you light the fire).
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/16/13 11:21 AM |
"Just stick your hand up there"
Or wait for the 25th, I understand possibly a big fat guy may descend the flue and leave some Dura Ace bits under a conifer in the living room...
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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT12/16/13 12:09 PM |
Flues vary...
When we lived in a newly-built house in Wisconsin, the damper was at the top of the chimney, controlled by a cable. Sticking your hand up would have made no difference. Here in Connecticut, our c. 1917 house has a heavy (cast iron?) lever-actuated damper down at the bottom, and that *can* be checked by hand.
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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal12/17/13 6:56 PM |
"Or wait for the 25th, I understand possibly a big fat guy may descend the flue and leave some Dura Ace bits under a conifer in the living room..."
...dibs on the FC-9000 crankset, I've been real good this year...
As for checking the open/closed status of the chimney, put a mirror in the cold fireplace during daylight...
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Jesus Saves
Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 1150
Location: South of Heaven12/18/13 2:18 PM |
Did you check under the Christmas tree?
Maybe Santa visited your place early this year
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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal12/19/13 10:58 AM |
My tree is a cedar I believe, and rooted in the small front yard.
I don't really like the thing in part because any time I even go near it I get needles down my shirt.
Something like a bee-keeper's suit might allow me to dig through the pile of needles underneath it, and no telling what I might find!
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KerryIrons
Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 3236
Location: Midland, MI12/19/13 7:37 PM |
Not cedar
quote:
My tree is a cedar I believe, and rooted in the small front yard.
I don't really like the thing in part because any time I even go near it I get needles down my shirt.
Then you probably don't have a cedar tree. Their needles are not sharp. At least not the cedar trees we have in Michigan.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/19/13 7:42 PM |
Sounds like a fir tree to me... ;)
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April
Joined: 13 Dec 2003
Posts: 6593
Location: Westchester/NYC12/20/13 12:07 PM |
quote:
"Or wait for the 25th, I understand possibly a big fat guy may descend the flue and leave some Dura Ace bits under a conifer in the living room..."
I'm closing the flue! The big fat guy better bring some Campy Record stuff before I'm to open it again! ;-)
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19083
Location: PDX12/20/13 1:00 PM |
"The big fat guy better bring some Campy Record stuff before I'm to open it again! ;-)"
I just pictured a cartoon of Santa looking down from his sleigh @ 400' ASL seeing Shima-NO! in the snow on your roof... ;)
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