chiney/boiler issues

[jbayer]

Hey folks - a question

We noticed some gunk coming out of the cracks in our chimney. Part of the
chimney is exposed in our bedroom. Before we moved in the house, the chiney
needed a repair. I called the compoany that did it.

A person came over and asked me whether the boiler was new. I said yes, it
was. He then said after an examination that when the previous tenants had
the boiler installed, the installers failed to take into account that it was
an old house (100+years) and there was a pipe from a wood stove running up
the chimney. It is now almost all the way decayed and the condensation was
causing the gunk leakage issue as well as a risk of Carbon Dioxide. He was
surprised we were still alive. He gave us an estimate of 2100 for the
removal of the pipe and the installation of terra-cotta lining for the
chimney.

We called another company who diagnmosed the problem the same way. They
however gave us an estimate of 2100 to remove the pipe, cap it (with a
life-time warantee), and line the chimney with (stainless) steel. They
guarantee their work for 10 years and never mentioned the dangerous levels
of carbon dioxide in my home (our alarm registers none).

I read on the web of options - aluminum linings, DIY, etc. I have ruled out
DIY for many reasons. I have also read to beware of this as a 'scam". I
have seen posts where the problem is ismilar, but not to the point. We
obviously have a problem, and I am inclined to have the work done. Should I
get one more estimate? What are the pros and cons of the various options?
Thoughts?

Thanx.

Joshua Bayer

[Jimmer]

Joshua,

Welcome to the forum.

Getting a couple more quotes wouldn't hurt. Be sure to check out the company and don't just go with the lowest price. I would go with the steel liner.

Good luck, Jim

'Just a handyman trying to help'

[mrcaptainbob]

Since the heating method was changed from that fossil fuel type (wood) to something more current (some type of gas? propane? natural?) that's where your problem would be at. I ran across that issue in my last house when going from oil to propane. Propane has a high moisture content and condenses on the inside of the chimney. After the furnace kicks off, those areas near cold temps would tend to freeze that condensate. Weakens the joints, causes cracks, and then intrusion of the carbon monoxide possibility. That's why a stainless steel sleeve should be inserted in the chimney. No need to rebuild the original, unless it's structurally unsound and in danger of collapse. That 5" or 6" sleeve is currogated and comes in a large roll that's dropped from the top of the chimney to the new furnace pipe. (Looks similar to that aluminum stuff for dryers). Then a new cap is set over the old chimney flu with your new pipe and hood sticking through. I would think that a quality furnace installer would be able to accomadate that. Check at the local box store (Home Depot?) at their furnace department for names of installers in your area. Not a real easy job, but it's no where near rebuilding a whole chimney! And I'm sure $2100 would cover your job and maybe a few others! I'm not a furnace repair pro, but I did that myself about six years ago with a lot of guidance from some helpful pro's.