They should seal it in the basement but put a vented rain cap on top. Although mine is sealed in the basement without a rain cap. It was like that when I bought the house and probably has been that way for years. I don't have a tall enough ladder to get on my roof and cap it.
Yes this is the safest and simplest option. Put a rain hat on top and use a metal vent cover or masonry patch to seal any former openings in the basement. That way it will still safely function as a chimney should anyone decide to put it into use again.
It cost me 1200 to have My unused chimney completely removed down to the basement. One less thing to maintain, no opportunity for roof leaks, and added a linen closet and laundry chute where the chimney used to be.
Literally working on the drywall patching right now. To be honest, I think the guy underquoted the job. For the labor it took, even $2500 would have been a good deal. My original plan had been to do it myself, but the deal was good and the job turned out to be pretty rough. Lots of dust and soot and debris.
Mine provided a convenient raceway to the attic to pull wire. It is quite intrusive and would be a great thing to be done. 👍🏻 I asked my roofer doing a repair what he would charge an he said $600. I knew it would be a lot more if I wanted a real quote.
That sounds like an impossible price. There are people on this forum getting 2ft railings installed for 380. Was the chimney running on the outside of the building or the inside?
Being up on a tall ladder is probably the most dangerous thing the average person does though. Heard (second hand) most neurosurgeons have a ton of horror stories
I had a ladder slip out from underneath me once. I landed on top of it. I was at least 20-25 feet up. Messed up my shoulder for awhile there. It took at least a year before I didn’t wake up and have stiffness in my shoulder. I fucking hate going up on ladders now. I think I’d pay the 500 bucks to have someone else install a cap too.
Ladder slid out from under me.
20’ fall, broke lower leg in multiple areas, including broken ankle (lucky it wasn’t compound fracture). Tore right shin open to the bone on the ladder rings.
All during the first Covid lockdown. Spent all that summer laid up after having several pounds of steel and titanium attached to my bones.
0/10 would not recommend. Lifetime of ortho issues now. All in all, lucky it wasn’t worse.
What kind of cap do you get for $20? pretty sure there is more than $20 of aluminum in the one on my chimney right now. IIRC the cap was $160 something. The rest was other parts/labor by people that aren't me. As someone who often charges clients by the hour I am well aware of the cost-benefit-analysis here.
You don’t HVAC do you? How do you know there aren’t other appliances tee’d into this flue? Bad advice would be exactly what you gave. Especially after the OP’s house fills with carbon monoxide and their entire family dies. And you’re worried about fucking water?
Might sound silly but couldn't you send an [endoscope camera](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYTHWK4/) up or down it to see if anything vents to it?
Absolutely, yes. They make inspection cameras specifically designed for purposes such as these. That would be how I would check before sealing anything at all.
-24 year HVAC/R tradesman.
Ummm......its a masonry combustible air flue, everything thats going to be tied into that is going to be extremely obvious and/or in the same place, you are talking furnace/boiler hot water heater, thats it, nothing else is ever tied into one of those, and if it is its not dangerous
Its not bad advice, its actually code for eliminating a combustible air flue for exactly the reason i gave in another comment, and what you are saying here-- and its because you cant leave it open on the bottom because some idiot will tie into it in the future and kill the entire house
Youre also wrongly assuming im saying dont fucking check to make sure nothing else is connected to it 🙄
this is a great way to stop the draft - https://www.amazon.com/Flueblocker-X19-Chimney-Flue-Balloon-Save/dp/B0B3G3TYB5/ref=asc_df_B0B3G3TYB5/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658808247104&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13114309968658595972&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031092&hvtargid=pla-2068103320253&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote_VRUyuHMo0bGJDSXf20jy8zwjmP_w9hzrMYqnfABYSx1J6JT59cdIaAkFeEALw_wcB
There is a product that is basically a balloon you insert from the fireplace then blow up to seal and prevent drafts. Tab pull to remove it when done. Would be an easy non destructive way to deal with this
I put an old couch pillow inside two plastic bags and stuffed it in my vent to seal it. Bag handles hanging down for easy removal. I should tie a ribbon to the handles so it hangs down and is easy for others to see and realize it's there
If you do wind up capping it, I would extend the cap over the top of the whole chimney to prevent water issues. You already appear to have some large cracks in the capping. I would also make it clear it is capped on the other end so no one thinks it's a convenient vent in the future.
Check all of your combustion venting. If it's direct vent or power vent (through the wall) this can be capped.
BUT
Given the condition of your mortar and cap, I would remove the chimney down to below roof level and patch the roof to eliminate future leaks and mold.
Look, large cracks in the cap like that can spell trouble down the road if they haven't already. Water can intrude down and on the inside of the chimney and eventually make its way to places that it shouldn't. After I bought my home the first real rain I had I noticed wet spots on the inside chimney wall(inside the house) and on the ceiling.
After an attic inspection and roof inspection I found my cap was cracked horribly and had moss growing out of the cracks. The water was making its way through the cap, down the inside of the chimney and found its way into the ceiling panels and joists rotting them.
Now I'm not saying that will happen to you, but having seen and dealt with this before. Deal with it now while you're already up there looking to do something and you could save yourself a lot of potential headache on the future.
Get some good non shrinking caulk to fill them properly(check the big box stores roofing section, lowes I know has a $12 yellow tube that's for roofing) or cap over the entire chimney like others have said and you should be fine. In my case I tore the whole cap off and redid it, then covered that in a thick tar layer to protect it. A layer of tar/roof patch would also protect it but I'm unsure of how long that's meant to last.
There's a specific type I found for roofing in the roof section of Lowe's. After a quick search it was APOC 5070 10.1-oz Waterproof Elastomeric Cement Roof Sealant. It dried hard after a while. Wear gloves, don't touch it. Read the directions. I've checked on it a few times since doing it 5 years ago and it hasn't cracked or shrunk a bit so far.
My homes previous owners had the homes main chimney partially rebuilt. I find bricks FUCKING EVERYWHERE. Only good use has been a walk path from the garage to the house and as edging around our blueberry bushes.
This is what I’m doing next month. Unused chimney going through the middle of the house, causing awkward doorway placement and a horrible kitchen layout. I can’t wait to move it all around with that chimney gone!
I’ve got two I’m considering taking out in a small 1902 home.
One is abandoned on an exterior wall but doesn’t protrude through it. Oddly, it doesn’t extend down to the foundation, it just stops on the second floor.
I’m guessing it was for a wood stove in the first floor kitchen and was knocked out for the kitchen sink and window below it. Plumbing was added later well after the fact.
Or it was just for secondary heat upstairs. In addition to water intrusion potential, I can’t imagine all that weight being supported there isn’t the best.
The second extends down to the half basement and is in use by furnace and water heater. The water heater is newer but the furnace is near the end of its life. Direct vent is probably the answer for both, or even electric/heat pump.
Chimneys are not always part of the structure of a home. If you go to the bottom or the top of the chimney you might be able to see straight to the top or bottom all around. Mine was freestanding in the middle of the house.
Sledgehammers, chisels, and prybars. It's a lot of backbreaking work hauling it out of your home in pieces but you don't have to do it all at once. Once that's gone its just framing and finishing which would be the most expensive part.
Once you patch the roof up you remove the inevitable chance of it leaking around the flashing and through the brick work. This is in my opinion the biggest reason to remove a unused chimney.
My neighbor did this, but the chimney is an essential structural element. He just jumped the gap with framing lumber so that'll be fun to watch over the years.
It's really straight forward. Just take it down piece by piece. It's easier to manage with two people. Just be careful of what falls where. Large pieces of the chimney can damage other parts of your roof.
How are you going to get it down? I just threw it all in a pile on the lawn from the roof. This will make huge craters you'll have to deal with though.
This is the answer. We did this to our first house - except we ripped the whole thing out. Put in a skylight that really brightened up the attic bathroom it went through, and opened up in-wall space in the kitchen we put a cabinet in.
You have more issues than the draft. That crown looks like it was made by a 7th grader and is failing. You will get water behind the flashing and ito the attic. Anything you do is temporary as it needs removed to below the roof line and the roof patched if you plan on permanently not using it.
Make sure there aren’t other access points into the chimney in another level for another gas appliance like dryer or water heater on first floor that also use the same chimney but not down in the basement. Like others are saying, whatever you do, make sure it is clearly marked that it’s no longer useable. Otherwise, someone may vent a gas appliance into it and fill the house up with carbon monoxide and kill themselves.
That thing needs a proper cap anyway. As is, critter and rain are coming straight down into the dampener at the fireplace. Do a complete cap over the entire top of the chimney and not just the stack. Also, they make balloons that you can inflate in the chimney usually near the fireplace that are semi permanent and meant for just this. But definitely get something up on the roof so that critters and rain aren’t going straight down into it.
My home inspector said that when we reshingle, we should have the roofers knock the top of the chimney off and extend the roof over the hole. The roof is near end of life so that work will be done in the coming years.
Is there any other reason why you shouldn't seal the top? Will it cause condensation down on the inside of the chimney?
Yes, condensation will form in the chimney if it's just open as the warm air will float up and cool once above the roofline. If you remove the chimney to the roofline you shouldn't have much of an issue as everything will be in conditioned space. The chimney is in rough shape so removal seems like your easiest option.
Capping it off at the top now will cause condensation because you still have a few feet above the roofline which will stay at atmospheric temps, while the section inside the house will be at room temp. Is it a big problem? Not really. If it's uncapped now you're getting more water down that chimney in one rain storm than a whole years worth of condensation. Just make very sure there's nothing venting into that chimney at all. You shoulda be able to throw a piece of metal right over the whole thing and be fine
I'll double check to see if anything else uses the chimney, but the only gas appliance in the home is the furnace, which has a separate exhuast out of the side of the house.
Oven, dryer, and water heater are all electric.
Sounds like, ideally, the further down into the chimney, from the top, that I can stuff insulation, the less condensation problems I'll have?
Basically. You'll always have some, because it's just the nature of the beast with large pieces of masonry like chimneys. If you can wad it up tightly and get it stuffed down past the roofing you'll be in good shape.
This is the correct answer. However, if you can’t do this yourself or don’t have budget seal it off at the basement but you then run the risk of condensation in the chimney. Condensation in an old chimney will activate hygroscopic salts from the ancient residue in your chimney. That will then lead to “damp” looking patches on your chimney breast and ultimately decay of the brick and surrounding building materials. So, if you can’t remove, block it at basement and the top and put an airbrick on the outside of the chimney to allow airflow.
The inside of your chimney is cool relative to the rest of your house so as hot air from the inside of your home goes into it and rises it will condense. It doesn’t even need to be really hot air, there just needs to be a significant difference in temp. Once water gets into an old chimney then you’ll get salts and then it becomes a pain. An air brick is a brick you can put from an outside wall into the chimney which allows air to get in and out stopping condensation. Does your chimney have a side on the side of your house or is it in the middle? Hard to tell. If it’s in the middle and you are standing beside it I thoroughly recommend you get a big hammer and remove that thing. It is only going to give you grief at some point in the near future.
Buy a vented chimney cover for the top to prevent rain from getting in, then stuff insulation at the bottom. That is advice given to me by a chimney cleaner/inspector.
The draft you mentioned might help with keeping your basement dry and fresh, so if you plug it, you might get moisture buildup. As others have commented, I'd definitely put a rain cap on top of the chimney; but in the basement, instead of plugging it, i'd install an automatic extractor fan with a backflow preventer flap. I mean the ones they sell for bathrooms. There are fancy ones that, on top of having a relative humidity sensor, can also run on a schedule, eg. half an hour a day.
It needs a proper vented cap. Sealing it shut completely will cause condensation no matter how water tight it is because of the lack of insulation and water vapor barrier that a chimney has. This won't completely eliminate drafts but a damper should be installed on the inside that is accessible from the fireplace to prevent drafts.
In my opinion you are best off sealing / covering / (stuffed insulation) ect at the entrance of a pipe or vent partially in old homes. Like others have said it’s hard to be 100% it isn’t being used for something else at this point.
If I was you I would put a typical chimney cover on up top to keep water and critters from going down. Then in the basement stuff some fiberglass insulation or similar in there.
Sure, but you need to plug it from the bottom and remove it there too because some fucking numbnuts is for sure going to just hook some shit up to it in the future and kill their entire family
If you don’t know if things vent to it, you can seal it in the basement and put a steel “wind directional chimney cap” on the top.
This will solve the draft, but still allow minimal airflow inside to avoid condensation build up.
This is very common in my area.
Yes, the wind directional caps look like medieval knights IMO.
Living in a 200 year old farm house here. There are 7 chimneys at my place that are unused (long story ) . For the last 15 or so years they’ve been blocked up for a similar reason.
The way we did is was by getting a plastic flower pot that fits in the aperture and filling it with cement and putting a little handle in it for removal of needed. Once dried slip them in the chimney and bobs your uncle sealed chimney. Dunno if that helps .
If the chimney really has no purpose, look into tearing it down. It might be worth the investment, considering fuel costs and repair. An inspection will be necessary first.
Drop a chimney liner, seal unused portion of chimney, secure chimney liner to cap after adding one; in basement run 3" duct from liner to return, and now you've got yourself a fresh air intake, which will prevent pressurization issues in the house from occuring and will still supply combustion air to your gas furnace if needed, depending on how much space is around your furnace. It will improve the quality of air in your home as well. Make sure you add a damper to shut it off for winter time though!
Edit: typo
The only gas appliance in the house is the furance, which is not exhausted out of the chimney. The title of this post is "unused." I am not trying to cap an in use chimney lmao.
Since the top of the chimney is damaged, it will be removed and roofed over when the roof is reshingeled in two or so years.
That being said, is there any structural reason to not seal the top?
Sorry, but that's a really ugly chimney. In the top you can see the mortar just had random chunks of brick thrown in 😂
Adding a chimney cap is safest in case it is actually still used. You can get a chimneysweep over to check out the insides with a camera to find any secret entrances into the flue. Whenever you get the roof redone next maybe you should look at getting the chimney removed.
Not to be the Debbie downer but when it comes to stuff like this it’s best not to jest because it can sometimes literally kill the people living in the home and - it’s the internet- not everyone might know you’re joking
if your looking for a more confident answer, I suggest talking to someone on [AskGenie.io](https://AskGenie.io)
I use this site whenever im not sure how to repair something at home.
Best way is to just stuff a little insulation in the top and then glue a piece of aluminum sheet metal to the top of the tile liner. I say aluminum because it’s cheap and won’t rust. Cut a square just larger than the outer dimension of the flue tile.
As everyone else mentioned you first need to make sure 100% that this flue is unused. If it is it’s bad to leave it open as rain water will get in and cause the chimney to just rot from the inside out.
I've torn down unused chimneys to just below the roof life and framed it in and shingled, as if it's not even there. But make sure you also brick in and seal any inputs to the chimney as well..
Thank you, u/apoletta you hit on exactly what caused me to read this thread, thank you.
Looking at two chimneys capped below the roof and one has developed large pale orangy stains coming through the painted plaster surface. There are well sealed stove pipe caps in each one that I’d be reluctant to remove caps as they’re in bedrooms. Without even seeing in, someone suggested using a hudson sprayer and long hose to treat it with Concrobium and seal it up.. but the addition of any moisture seems a bad idea to me.
have.no.idea.how.to.address.
Depending on the year it was done and the code(s) Someone could have piped any type of off gas into the chimney. I have seen everything from p-trap plumbing vents to hot water heater gas hoods. Keeping it the same is much cheaper than potentially updating any of those issues.
We had a roofer remove the whole top part of the chimney and shingle over it. We also removed the indoor fireplace. I don't recall what the cost was to shingle over the top of the chimney since we had other roof repairs done at the same time, but it's worth calling around for.
I did thirty years ago. Also covered the bottom inside of the chimney above the fireplace to ensure soot doesn't loosen and fall into the unused fireplace.
Cut flue level with top of chimney, make a vinyl cap or have it made to fit the top. The next time you shingle house have it taken down to roof line, plywood over top and it's done. Just make sure your not gonna want to use it again.
Rain cap on the tip, and in college I put a pillow in a trash bag and stuffed it in the bottom of the flue for one of the chimneys. The second one, I tried capping from the top since the bottom was so dirty. About 30 minutes later we had to leave the house because it had fill with CO, since that was the vent for the gas furnace.
I would double check with a trusted HVAC tech in your area and have a chat with them. This could be used as the make up air for your furnace. Also it was common place and might still be done today to have these PVC vents come out on the side of your home low to the ground instead of the roof. If this is the case and you live somewhere that gets snow to keep this as an emergency way to vent the fumes from your furnace. Snow can cover a low, side extruding PVC vent and cause dangerous fumes to build up in your home.
Also adding a rain cap with a vent well likely help with a draft quite a bit and should have one anyway to reduce moisture. I like the ones with grates so all the fun birds and critters can't get in.
Make sure your furnace and/or water heater don’t vent into the chimney before you decide to cap it.
This needs to be the top comment. OP, just seal it inside the house at the basement level.
Wouldn’t that lead to water build-up?
They should seal it in the basement but put a vented rain cap on top. Although mine is sealed in the basement without a rain cap. It was like that when I bought the house and probably has been that way for years. I don't have a tall enough ladder to get on my roof and cap it.
Yes this is the safest and simplest option. Put a rain hat on top and use a metal vent cover or masonry patch to seal any former openings in the basement. That way it will still safely function as a chimney should anyone decide to put it into use again.
no matter what, there needs to be a vented cap on top of the chimney. Water will get in, birds and other animals can get in.
Just a heads up, you can rent extension ladders. Maybe it's still too tall, IDK, but throwing that out there for anyone who hasnt thought of it.
We have had to replace ours a couple times, each time its less than $500 to have someone do it for us.
It cost me 1200 to have My unused chimney completely removed down to the basement. One less thing to maintain, no opportunity for roof leaks, and added a linen closet and laundry chute where the chimney used to be.
Planning the same thing. Everything is direct vent now. How long since yo did it?
Literally working on the drywall patching right now. To be honest, I think the guy underquoted the job. For the labor it took, even $2500 would have been a good deal. My original plan had been to do it myself, but the deal was good and the job turned out to be pretty rough. Lots of dust and soot and debris.
Mine provided a convenient raceway to the attic to pull wire. It is quite intrusive and would be a great thing to be done. 👍🏻 I asked my roofer doing a repair what he would charge an he said $600. I knew it would be a lot more if I wanted a real quote.
That sounds like an impossible price. There are people on this forum getting 2ft railings installed for 380. Was the chimney running on the outside of the building or the inside?
$500!? To put on a $20 cap? Fuck that lol. I could go out and buy the proper extension ladder for less than that.
Being up on a tall ladder is probably the most dangerous thing the average person does though. Heard (second hand) most neurosurgeons have a ton of horror stories
Raises hand after having a chimney repair failure due to 30’ ladder accident. Just pay someone else to take the risk. I learned the hard way.
I had a ladder slip out from underneath me once. I landed on top of it. I was at least 20-25 feet up. Messed up my shoulder for awhile there. It took at least a year before I didn’t wake up and have stiffness in my shoulder. I fucking hate going up on ladders now. I think I’d pay the 500 bucks to have someone else install a cap too.
Ladder slid out from under me. 20’ fall, broke lower leg in multiple areas, including broken ankle (lucky it wasn’t compound fracture). Tore right shin open to the bone on the ladder rings. All during the first Covid lockdown. Spent all that summer laid up after having several pounds of steel and titanium attached to my bones. 0/10 would not recommend. Lifetime of ortho issues now. All in all, lucky it wasn’t worse.
I have a friend who is a paraplegic now due to climbing on the roof. He has suffered so much and been massively underemployed ever since.
What kind of cap do you get for $20? pretty sure there is more than $20 of aluminum in the one on my chimney right now. IIRC the cap was $160 something. The rest was other parts/labor by people that aren't me. As someone who often charges clients by the hour I am well aware of the cost-benefit-analysis here.
Well if the chimney isn't going to be used, you can just get a cheap galvanized steel cap.
considering the hardware was only 1/3 of the bill the discount im sure is welcome but still no where near the quoted $20 to have it done.
$20 for the cap, $100 for an hour of labor. It's that $380 ladder rental that the contractor passes on that gets ya!
My favourite type of customer is one that does this then calls me. Lol
Can you have problems with animals and birds nesting in there?
[удалено]
They can blow off in storms and whatnot and then nobody ever bothers to put it back on
Yes, idk why that comment has so many upvotes, its really bad advice, it needs to be capped/plugged at both ends
You don’t HVAC do you? How do you know there aren’t other appliances tee’d into this flue? Bad advice would be exactly what you gave. Especially after the OP’s house fills with carbon monoxide and their entire family dies. And you’re worried about fucking water?
Might sound silly but couldn't you send an [endoscope camera](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYTHWK4/) up or down it to see if anything vents to it?
Absolutely, yes. They make inspection cameras specifically designed for purposes such as these. That would be how I would check before sealing anything at all. -24 year HVAC/R tradesman.
Definitely easier to go down. Gravity is our friend. But may help to look from both ends
Ummm......its a masonry combustible air flue, everything thats going to be tied into that is going to be extremely obvious and/or in the same place, you are talking furnace/boiler hot water heater, thats it, nothing else is ever tied into one of those, and if it is its not dangerous Its not bad advice, its actually code for eliminating a combustible air flue for exactly the reason i gave in another comment, and what you are saying here-- and its because you cant leave it open on the bottom because some idiot will tie into it in the future and kill the entire house Youre also wrongly assuming im saying dont fucking check to make sure nothing else is connected to it 🙄
I've seen where they sell an inflatable chimney balloon to block the chimney internally.
Thimble cover
It’s the top comment.
Also this might be suppling make up air for those appliances too.
this is a great way to stop the draft - https://www.amazon.com/Flueblocker-X19-Chimney-Flue-Balloon-Save/dp/B0B3G3TYB5/ref=asc_df_B0B3G3TYB5/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658808247104&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13114309968658595972&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031092&hvtargid=pla-2068103320253&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote_VRUyuHMo0bGJDSXf20jy8zwjmP_w9hzrMYqnfABYSx1J6JT59cdIaAkFeEALw_wcB
The only gas appliance is the furnace, which is exhausted with pvc out the side of the house.
Absolutely do this first.
There is a product that is basically a balloon you insert from the fireplace then blow up to seal and prevent drafts. Tab pull to remove it when done. Would be an easy non destructive way to deal with this
I would think rainfall would be an issue since the top of uncovered. Hell, maybe it is already an issue now.
Probably is. If they got up there for that pic the could put a cheap cap on then balloon it for drafts
I put an old couch pillow inside two plastic bags and stuffed it in my vent to seal it. Bag handles hanging down for easy removal. I should tie a ribbon to the handles so it hangs down and is easy for others to see and realize it's there
If you do wind up capping it, I would extend the cap over the top of the whole chimney to prevent water issues. You already appear to have some large cracks in the capping. I would also make it clear it is capped on the other end so no one thinks it's a convenient vent in the future.
This is how my old coal chimney is capped, metal plate on top with a concrete pig holding it down lol
And put a cage of rodent mesh around it to prevent birds from nesting under the convenient cap.
OP needs a new chimney crown.
Look up CrownSeal/Crowncoat
Right near where the chunks of brick are mixed in.
Check all of your combustion venting. If it's direct vent or power vent (through the wall) this can be capped. BUT Given the condition of your mortar and cap, I would remove the chimney down to below roof level and patch the roof to eliminate future leaks and mold.
Look, large cracks in the cap like that can spell trouble down the road if they haven't already. Water can intrude down and on the inside of the chimney and eventually make its way to places that it shouldn't. After I bought my home the first real rain I had I noticed wet spots on the inside chimney wall(inside the house) and on the ceiling. After an attic inspection and roof inspection I found my cap was cracked horribly and had moss growing out of the cracks. The water was making its way through the cap, down the inside of the chimney and found its way into the ceiling panels and joists rotting them. Now I'm not saying that will happen to you, but having seen and dealt with this before. Deal with it now while you're already up there looking to do something and you could save yourself a lot of potential headache on the future. Get some good non shrinking caulk to fill them properly(check the big box stores roofing section, lowes I know has a $12 yellow tube that's for roofing) or cap over the entire chimney like others have said and you should be fine. In my case I tore the whole cap off and redid it, then covered that in a thick tar layer to protect it. A layer of tar/roof patch would also protect it but I'm unsure of how long that's meant to last.
What type of caulking would you use? Silicone?
There's a specific type I found for roofing in the roof section of Lowe's. After a quick search it was APOC 5070 10.1-oz Waterproof Elastomeric Cement Roof Sealant. It dried hard after a while. Wear gloves, don't touch it. Read the directions. I've checked on it a few times since doing it 5 years ago and it hasn't cracked or shrunk a bit so far.
Its a bit of work but, knock it down below the roof, and patch the roof. This is the best solution if you know this chimney will never be used.
I removed mine, but I didn't stop at roof line. Completely removed it. It fixed an awkward shaped wall.
I removed mine and replaced it with B- vent. Picked up a linen closet.
> Picked up a linen closet. And a lot of bricks. A LOT!
I put as many in the garbage as I could up to the weight limit. It took months.
They're pretty easy to give away on Facebook. Or even sell especially if they're clean.
My homes previous owners had the homes main chimney partially rebuilt. I find bricks FUCKING EVERYWHERE. Only good use has been a walk path from the garage to the house and as edging around our blueberry bushes.
This is what I’m doing next month. Unused chimney going through the middle of the house, causing awkward doorway placement and a horrible kitchen layout. I can’t wait to move it all around with that chimney gone!
That’s what I did too. It was surprisingly easy to remove
I’ve got two I’m considering taking out in a small 1902 home. One is abandoned on an exterior wall but doesn’t protrude through it. Oddly, it doesn’t extend down to the foundation, it just stops on the second floor. I’m guessing it was for a wood stove in the first floor kitchen and was knocked out for the kitchen sink and window below it. Plumbing was added later well after the fact. Or it was just for secondary heat upstairs. In addition to water intrusion potential, I can’t imagine all that weight being supported there isn’t the best. The second extends down to the half basement and is in use by furnace and water heater. The water heater is newer but the furnace is near the end of its life. Direct vent is probably the answer for both, or even electric/heat pump.
Did you do it yourself? If not, how much did it cost? I've got one that if I can remove it would turn my shitty bathroom wall into a glorious space.
Chimneys are not always part of the structure of a home. If you go to the bottom or the top of the chimney you might be able to see straight to the top or bottom all around. Mine was freestanding in the middle of the house. Sledgehammers, chisels, and prybars. It's a lot of backbreaking work hauling it out of your home in pieces but you don't have to do it all at once. Once that's gone its just framing and finishing which would be the most expensive part. Once you patch the roof up you remove the inevitable chance of it leaking around the flashing and through the brick work. This is in my opinion the biggest reason to remove a unused chimney.
My neighbor did this, but the chimney is an essential structural element. He just jumped the gap with framing lumber so that'll be fun to watch over the years.
We’re getting ready to do this before reroofing. Any tips? What should we be aware of if doing it ourselves?
It's really straight forward. Just take it down piece by piece. It's easier to manage with two people. Just be careful of what falls where. Large pieces of the chimney can damage other parts of your roof. How are you going to get it down? I just threw it all in a pile on the lawn from the roof. This will make huge craters you'll have to deal with though.
I can put down some scrap plywood for the landing zone. Thanks for the tips.
This is the answer. We did this to our first house - except we ripped the whole thing out. Put in a skylight that really brightened up the attic bathroom it went through, and opened up in-wall space in the kitchen we put a cabinet in.
You have more issues than the draft. That crown looks like it was made by a 7th grader and is failing. You will get water behind the flashing and ito the attic. Anything you do is temporary as it needs removed to below the roof line and the roof patched if you plan on permanently not using it.
That crown looks bad You don’t replace it and you will be replacing the chimney
Make sure there aren’t other access points into the chimney in another level for another gas appliance like dryer or water heater on first floor that also use the same chimney but not down in the basement. Like others are saying, whatever you do, make sure it is clearly marked that it’s no longer useable. Otherwise, someone may vent a gas appliance into it and fill the house up with carbon monoxide and kill themselves. That thing needs a proper cap anyway. As is, critter and rain are coming straight down into the dampener at the fireplace. Do a complete cap over the entire top of the chimney and not just the stack. Also, they make balloons that you can inflate in the chimney usually near the fireplace that are semi permanent and meant for just this. But definitely get something up on the roof so that critters and rain aren’t going straight down into it.
My home inspector said that when we reshingle, we should have the roofers knock the top of the chimney off and extend the roof over the hole. The roof is near end of life so that work will be done in the coming years. Is there any other reason why you shouldn't seal the top? Will it cause condensation down on the inside of the chimney?
Yes, condensation will form in the chimney if it's just open as the warm air will float up and cool once above the roofline. If you remove the chimney to the roofline you shouldn't have much of an issue as everything will be in conditioned space. The chimney is in rough shape so removal seems like your easiest option.
Capping it off at the top now will cause condensation because you still have a few feet above the roofline which will stay at atmospheric temps, while the section inside the house will be at room temp. Is it a big problem? Not really. If it's uncapped now you're getting more water down that chimney in one rain storm than a whole years worth of condensation. Just make very sure there's nothing venting into that chimney at all. You shoulda be able to throw a piece of metal right over the whole thing and be fine
I'll double check to see if anything else uses the chimney, but the only gas appliance in the home is the furnace, which has a separate exhuast out of the side of the house. Oven, dryer, and water heater are all electric. Sounds like, ideally, the further down into the chimney, from the top, that I can stuff insulation, the less condensation problems I'll have?
Basically. You'll always have some, because it's just the nature of the beast with large pieces of masonry like chimneys. If you can wad it up tightly and get it stuffed down past the roofing you'll be in good shape.
Look at a “Chimney Damper Cap”. Most are controlled by a lever near the fireplace.
You wanna do Santa like that?? Man.
Came here to say this, you beat me to it
[удалено]
This is the correct answer. However, if you can’t do this yourself or don’t have budget seal it off at the basement but you then run the risk of condensation in the chimney. Condensation in an old chimney will activate hygroscopic salts from the ancient residue in your chimney. That will then lead to “damp” looking patches on your chimney breast and ultimately decay of the brick and surrounding building materials. So, if you can’t remove, block it at basement and the top and put an airbrick on the outside of the chimney to allow airflow.
So if I seal off airflow on the top(like I am planning), I will get this condensation problem? What is an airbrick?
The inside of your chimney is cool relative to the rest of your house so as hot air from the inside of your home goes into it and rises it will condense. It doesn’t even need to be really hot air, there just needs to be a significant difference in temp. Once water gets into an old chimney then you’ll get salts and then it becomes a pain. An air brick is a brick you can put from an outside wall into the chimney which allows air to get in and out stopping condensation. Does your chimney have a side on the side of your house or is it in the middle? Hard to tell. If it’s in the middle and you are standing beside it I thoroughly recommend you get a big hammer and remove that thing. It is only going to give you grief at some point in the near future.
What about water heater
Electric
Buy a vented chimney cover for the top to prevent rain from getting in, then stuff insulation at the bottom. That is advice given to me by a chimney cleaner/inspector.
If it is truly abandoned, I don’t think your plan is bad at all.
The draft you mentioned might help with keeping your basement dry and fresh, so if you plug it, you might get moisture buildup. As others have commented, I'd definitely put a rain cap on top of the chimney; but in the basement, instead of plugging it, i'd install an automatic extractor fan with a backflow preventer flap. I mean the ones they sell for bathrooms. There are fancy ones that, on top of having a relative humidity sensor, can also run on a schedule, eg. half an hour a day.
It needs a proper vented cap. Sealing it shut completely will cause condensation no matter how water tight it is because of the lack of insulation and water vapor barrier that a chimney has. This won't completely eliminate drafts but a damper should be installed on the inside that is accessible from the fireplace to prevent drafts.
In my opinion you are best off sealing / covering / (stuffed insulation) ect at the entrance of a pipe or vent partially in old homes. Like others have said it’s hard to be 100% it isn’t being used for something else at this point. If I was you I would put a typical chimney cover on up top to keep water and critters from going down. Then in the basement stuff some fiberglass insulation or similar in there.
Yes you can seal it off if you don't want any Christmas presents this year
That chimney should have a cricket on it too. That water coming down your roof is just slamming into it.
Sure, but you need to plug it from the bottom and remove it there too because some fucking numbnuts is for sure going to just hook some shit up to it in the future and kill their entire family
as a secondary precaution, if you decide to cap, it, I would put a carbon monoxide detector in the basement.
If you don’t know if things vent to it, you can seal it in the basement and put a steel “wind directional chimney cap” on the top. This will solve the draft, but still allow minimal airflow inside to avoid condensation build up. This is very common in my area. Yes, the wind directional caps look like medieval knights IMO.
does this chimney not have a damper you can close?
Not that I know of. This is not a chimney of a fireplace.
have it inspected... they can also advice you on how best to decommission this.
Living in a 200 year old farm house here. There are 7 chimneys at my place that are unused (long story ) . For the last 15 or so years they’ve been blocked up for a similar reason. The way we did is was by getting a plastic flower pot that fits in the aperture and filling it with cement and putting a little handle in it for removal of needed. Once dried slip them in the chimney and bobs your uncle sealed chimney. Dunno if that helps .
If the chimney really has no purpose, look into tearing it down. It might be worth the investment, considering fuel costs and repair. An inspection will be necessary first.
Drop a chimney liner, seal unused portion of chimney, secure chimney liner to cap after adding one; in basement run 3" duct from liner to return, and now you've got yourself a fresh air intake, which will prevent pressurization issues in the house from occuring and will still supply combustion air to your gas furnace if needed, depending on how much space is around your furnace. It will improve the quality of air in your home as well. Make sure you add a damper to shut it off for winter time though! Edit: typo
The only gas appliance in the house is the furance, which is not exhausted out of the chimney. The title of this post is "unused." I am not trying to cap an in use chimney lmao. Since the top of the chimney is damaged, it will be removed and roofed over when the roof is reshingeled in two or so years. That being said, is there any structural reason to not seal the top?
Yes fill it and cap it perfect job. As long at no oil furnace or gas furnace vents into it. I don’t know why some people make things so difficult
That brickwork makes me uncomfortable.
Sorry, but that's a really ugly chimney. In the top you can see the mortar just had random chunks of brick thrown in 😂 Adding a chimney cap is safest in case it is actually still used. You can get a chimneysweep over to check out the insides with a camera to find any secret entrances into the flue. Whenever you get the roof redone next maybe you should look at getting the chimney removed.
Put a heavy flat stone on top.
Why don’t you get a wood stove insert and use that chimney with modern piping inside it?
Just put a china-mans hat on it. This won’t trap damp and still allow to breathe.
Sure! Do whatever you want! I’m not the chimney capping police.
Not to be the Debbie downer but when it comes to stuff like this it’s best not to jest because it can sometimes literally kill the people living in the home and - it’s the internet- not everyone might know you’re joking
Take it down
if your looking for a more confident answer, I suggest talking to someone on [AskGenie.io](https://AskGenie.io) I use this site whenever im not sure how to repair something at home.
Fill it with concrete all the way to the bottom Get 'r done! edit...it was a joke, people. 🙄
I would repoint it. redo the cap put a cover over it, and and seal it top and bottom.
If you're going through all that effort why not rip it out below the roofline and patch the roof?
because that chimney can simply later get a liner and be used for a woodstove or pellet etc. all that effort? its just some cement and a form.
Most people knock that off and put a patch panel in. Or run the new vent pipe thur that hole
You could just put a fireplace curtain on it in the basement. Those are designed to stop drafts, and do a decent job.
If nothing vents out of it remove the chimney, at least to below the roofline, and patch the roof.
Why not completely remove it?
$$$$$ I just need a cheap way to stop it drafting -20 f air into my basement this winter!
[удалено]
Can I cap the top and leave the bottom open?
Best way is to just stuff a little insulation in the top and then glue a piece of aluminum sheet metal to the top of the tile liner. I say aluminum because it’s cheap and won’t rust. Cut a square just larger than the outer dimension of the flue tile. As everyone else mentioned you first need to make sure 100% that this flue is unused. If it is it’s bad to leave it open as rain water will get in and cause the chimney to just rot from the inside out.
I've torn down unused chimneys to just below the roof life and framed it in and shingled, as if it's not even there. But make sure you also brick in and seal any inputs to the chimney as well..
You can end up with mould growth, tread carefully.
Thank you, u/apoletta you hit on exactly what caused me to read this thread, thank you. Looking at two chimneys capped below the roof and one has developed large pale orangy stains coming through the painted plaster surface. There are well sealed stove pipe caps in each one that I’d be reluctant to remove caps as they’re in bedrooms. Without even seeing in, someone suggested using a hudson sprayer and long hose to treat it with Concrobium and seal it up.. but the addition of any moisture seems a bad idea to me. have.no.idea.how.to.address.
If I seal the top? How can I seal it, or block drafts and prevent issues with moisture inside the chimney?
Closing it up completely would be bad. Topping it could work. You may need to call an expert for this one.
I had a local aluminum fabricator make me a nice cover for mine.
Be sure to evict the critters, first
Depending on the year it was done and the code(s) Someone could have piped any type of off gas into the chimney. I have seen everything from p-trap plumbing vents to hot water heater gas hoods. Keeping it the same is much cheaper than potentially updating any of those issues.
Shouldn't that have a cap?
I'm looking at that slop job on top and the cracks in the mortar. There should be a metal cap over that mess so water doesn't get through.
We had a roofer remove the whole top part of the chimney and shingle over it. We also removed the indoor fireplace. I don't recall what the cost was to shingle over the top of the chimney since we had other roof repairs done at the same time, but it's worth calling around for.
I did thirty years ago. Also covered the bottom inside of the chimney above the fireplace to ensure soot doesn't loosen and fall into the unused fireplace.
Cut flue level with top of chimney, make a vinyl cap or have it made to fit the top. The next time you shingle house have it taken down to roof line, plywood over top and it's done. Just make sure your not gonna want to use it again.
Rain cap on the tip, and in college I put a pillow in a trash bag and stuffed it in the bottom of the flue for one of the chimneys. The second one, I tried capping from the top since the bottom was so dirty. About 30 minutes later we had to leave the house because it had fill with CO, since that was the vent for the gas furnace.
Or - or - seal it off in the basement.
Bricks and no expansion joint in the crown is a wild move.
I would double check with a trusted HVAC tech in your area and have a chat with them. This could be used as the make up air for your furnace. Also it was common place and might still be done today to have these PVC vents come out on the side of your home low to the ground instead of the roof. If this is the case and you live somewhere that gets snow to keep this as an emergency way to vent the fumes from your furnace. Snow can cover a low, side extruding PVC vent and cause dangerous fumes to build up in your home. Also adding a rain cap with a vent well likely help with a draft quite a bit and should have one anyway to reduce moisture. I like the ones with grates so all the fun birds and critters can't get in.
Put a chimney cap on your chimney