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Old 05-24-11, 09:52 AM   #110
Weed Dog
Lurking Renovator
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Wisconsin
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Question The Chimney as Plenum

Is the chimney sound, i.e., a sealed plenum? That visible portion appears so, perhaps you even tuckpointed recently? I live nearby, in Milwaukee, and my chimney was built of cream city brick, once a popular local building material. I've had to replace bricks and mortar that cracked, fell out of and into the chimney, and also disintegrated into sand, due to the ravages of time, stack temps and combustion products from my oil burner. Perhaps even poor manufacturing and improper firing of the brick occurred.

Cream city brick, I've read, tends toward greater porosity than some other types, and positive pressure in the chimney may encourage exfiltration of particles. I've found small quantities of sand around the base of my chimney in the basement, and that suggests to me that some soot, a nasty eye and respiratory irritant, may also have been pushed into the basement atmosphere.

Had you considered lining the chimney with rectangular or round ductwork? Some lurking experts might comment about whether this would increase laminar airflow, reduce turbulence and surface effects from the brick, and perhaps cut down the time that the blowers need to run, thereby reducing electricity consumption. Perhaps the effort would not yield substantial efficiency benefits...?
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