Fireplaces and Chimneys - Page 13 of 16

Q: Mark Eatherton’s response about venting high-efficiency boilers into masonry chimneys begs the question of what to do with the acidic condensate that is produced by these boilers. If the gases spell…

Q: Some clients of mine are having severe downdraft (smoking) problems with fireplaces in a house I designed for them recently. The fireplaces are Rumford style, built from components and…

Q: My house had a high-efficiency boiler vented into a conventional masonry chimney. I have had tremendous efflorescence problems with the chimney ever since. Other chimneys in the house that vent…

Q: When I remodeled my house seven years ago, I added a woodstove with an exterior metal chimney, which is now the highest part of the house. Should I ground the…

Q: I’m building a house that will have a furnace and two fireplaces, each with separate flues and all sharing the same chimney. The fireplace flues will each be 16 in.…

Homeowners rarely see their chimney caps, and few people have ever called me to repair them. But when I'm asked to inspect a roof or an attic, I generally find myself looking down at the top of the chimney.

Q: The fireplace in Richard T. Kreh Sr.’s article Building an Efficient Fireplace has a smoke shelf, but it also has an interior chimney. As I understand it, the smoke shelf…

A California mason combines the adobe look of a kiva with the heating efficiency of a Rumford.

A variation of the Rumford design reflects heat into the room rather than letting it disappear up the chimney.

Installation details can make the difference between a trouble-free roof and an expensive callback.