Handyman Guide > Chimneys

Every unit using fuel that produces gases during combustion must have a chimney connected to allow these gases to escape. If the chimney does not function properly, the gases will smother the fire or keep it from burning properly. A great many heating problems are due to the faulty construction of the chimney.


Modern heating equipment is scientifically designed to operate efficiently, provided it is properly installed and the chimney meets the necessary requirements. All too frequently, the furnace is blamed when the real cause of the trouble is the chimney. This seems rather strange when you consider that chimneys have been built for hundreds of years, and the basic requirements for chimney construction are listed in practically every book on the subject of heating. The fact remains that chimneys are being built today that will not operate because these basic needs are ignored. The annoyance and expense connected with a poorly constructed chimney will eventually have to be borne by the homeowner.

Construction. The best location for the chimney is in the center of the house, to minimize heat loss through the walls of the chimney. A chimney placed on the outside of the house will lose considerable heat. A well-constructed outside chimney will have to be several inches thicker than an inside one to compensate for this loss.

A chimney should run straight up with no angles or bends. Angles will cause resistance to the passage of air and gas through the chimney and thus cut down the draft. They also afford an excellent stop for the accumulation of heavy deposits of soot.

The interior of the chimney should be lined with fire-clay flue lining. This provides not only a smoother surface than can be obtained with either bricks or stones but also a measure of safety. The heat and oils in smoke will eventually cause ordinary mortar to disintegrate, with resulting leakage in the chimney.

There should be a separate flue for each piece of heating equipment. When two or more heating devices are connected to the same flue, they nullify each other's draft. This is often the reason why coal-burning hot water heaters do not operate as they should. They are connected to the same flue as the main heating system and thus have little or no draft.

The top of the chimney should rise at least three feet above the top of the roof. Branches of trees should not be allowed to extend over the chimney top. Covering the top of the chimney will impair the draft, although it is quite common to see chimneys with caps of one kind or another. No beams or girders employed in the construction of the house should protrude inside the flue of the chimney. This will have a serious effect on the draft, and is a fire hazard as well.

Stove pipes from other heating equipment should not protrude into the chimney. The end of the stove pipe should be flush with the inside of the flue.



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