| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
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| Water coming into Fireplace | 8/28/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I have water coming down the inside of my fireplace when it rains. I believe it is coming in the ...
A: lets start with a regular cap installed properly will allow a driving rain to blow in from the ...
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| RE: firebox inspection, etc | 8/28/2008 | James Ball |
Q: Hey James, thanks so much for all of your help. Yes the company was certified but come to think of ...
A: Welcome back Val, I am not sure if the rebuild of the firebox will help with a draft(I have not seen ...
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| woodstove in basement | 8/28/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I am about to install a woodstove in my basement. I plan on using a metalbestos system. My plan is ...
A: Going through a window frame is very common, just a few things, you must maintain "clearance to ...
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| Had the inspection | 8/27/2008 | James Ball |
Q: Well, I had the inspection/cleaning done on my chimney (see previous question regarding ~43 yr old ...
A: was the company certified? (www.csia.org) and make sure the worker that does the inspection is ...
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| Chimney liners & asbestos | 8/26/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I am in the midst of having our old class a chimney stainless steel liner that was installed when ...
A: I honestly do not know if that is asbestos or not I would say try to contact the manufacture if you ...
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| gas fireplace | 8/26/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I am replacing our glass fireplace doors. We converted to gas years ago. The old one has vents on ...
A: I am not sure what you are describing so lets go over it, you want to replace the glass doors on ...
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| Wood stove/ gas water heater venting | 8/26/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I have a situation where a wood stove used to share the same brick chimney with a gas water heater. ...
A: Welcome back Mark, no you can not line just one and dump the other into the flue around it. you must ...
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| Stone harth | 8/26/2008 | James Ball |
Q: We have a stone hearth behind our propane stove, we are wanting to put a wood stove in-will the ...
A: you must follow the new wood stove's installation instruction fully. if the hearth is the same size ...
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| Chimney inspection & cleaning | 8/25/2008 | James Ball |
Q: We have just removed a wood stove from our fireplace. Our house is ~43 yr old. We have fire brick ...
A: 1st I would say to make sure the sweep that comes is Certified (www.csia.org) if the sweep that ...
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| tar stain | 8/24/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I have some small tar stains on my sand stone fire surround how do i remove them.
A: Try Sweep's Secret Hearth & Home Cleaner. Contact a local CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep for ...
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| Fire pit on the deck/ fire | 8/24/2008 | James Ball |
Q: We learned the hard way, we have a fire pit on the deck and never gave a us problem until 2006, we ...
A: I am not sure how the fire pit you have was built but you might want to re think you hole design. ...
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| Inner Hearth | 8/23/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Our fireplace is original to our 1950's home. We have recently redone the mantel and instead of ...
A: You still need a non-combustible material in those areas. Ceramic tile, brick, thin brick, slate, ...
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| pellet stove hookup | 8/22/2008 | James Ball |
Q: we have an unlined brick chimney in the center of our house we would like to hook up our pellet ...
A: first you should have the chimney re lined for the oil boiler and furnace. Second you can not mix ...
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| how to clean up my fireplace brick | 8/22/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: The bricks on my fireplace hearth (the part that is outside the firebox and wraps around at the ...
A: We recommend Sweeps Secret Home and Hearth cleaner for that application. It's available from nearly ...
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| Free Standing Wood Stove Installation | 8/21/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I just removed a Zero Clearance Metal Fireplace that held a 20"H 24"W 21"D Avalon Wood Stove insert. ...
A: You must consult your owner's manual on the VC for an "alcove" installation. If you meet the mfg ...
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| Converting single-sided fireplace to 2-sided | 8/20/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I have a single-sided wood-burning fp (exterior wall) that I would like to convert to a 2-sided gas ...
A: It's typically not possible due to the flue size. It will be too small when you are finished. It ...
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| double sided direct vent fireplace | 8/20/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Bart We are trying to install a double sided fireplace direct vent to the outside. This would be a ...
A: All double-sided direct-vent gas fireplaces have a fixed glass on them and they will all have a wall ...
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| chimney crack - bricks | 8/19/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: We just bought a cottage built in 1954. There is a large crack (about 5 feet) from the top of the ...
A: What you're suggesting is potentially possible, but dependent on many things including the condition ...
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| Chimney repair costs | 8/19/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Through the general inspection on my house, I found that: some bricks are loose, mortar is soft or ...
A: I'm sorry but I can't give cost quotes in this forum. I recommend you contact a local CSIA ...
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| Tapping into an existing chimney | 8/19/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Please excuse the length of this question - I believe a good answer requires as much info as ...
A: You would need to remove the existing lining system and install one specifically sized for the ...
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| Fireplace flue | 8/18/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I have a fireplace which has a chimney and was built to burn wood. I no longer burn wood, so a gas ...
A: Typically, the instructions for the gas logs will tell you to leave the damper open at all times. ...
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| Chimney Repair | 8/17/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I've just had my masonry chimney in LA inspected with the recoomendation to tear down and replace. ...
A: It will very likely be just as cheap to tear the chimney down and do a frame-up install. I can't ...
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| chimney noise ! | 8/16/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: i have a new house with an open gas fire. it works really well but there is a lot of wind noise and ...
A: If a chimney cap with spark arrestor is properly installed on a fireplace, you should not get hail ...
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| Can I safely close off the ash chute in the basement | 8/16/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I have a 1930's fireplace which has a chute to the basement for the ashes. I rarely clean it out - ...
A: I would say to try to leave it so you can get at it in the future (maybe a future home owner), but ...
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| Fireplace direct vent kit | 8/14/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I have a free standing woodstove in my fireplace with a direct vent kit installed. The metal panel ...
A: first thing I see is I am not ware of any "wood stove direct vent kit installed" if they/you just ...
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| refractory firelace wall | 8/13/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Where can I find the parts or would it be cheaper to install a new box? The side and back walls need ...
A: Parts are no longer available for those fireplaces. You need to replace the fireplace. Thanks for ...
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| Wood/coal new exhaust | 8/13/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: I have a second flue, as part of an exterior masonry chimney. The flue stops at the first floor, ...
A: You can only have one appliance per flue. Each flue must have a lining system. Extending flue 2 ...
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| Moving chimney to oustside wall | 8/13/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: My house is a 1920’s 2 story Colonial 27’x 27” with a center chimney and a large fireplace. To help ...
A: That sounds like a plan that will work. You'll need to check your local building codes for their ...
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| removal of wax | 8/12/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: just put a new concrete fire surround and the wife has had a candle sat on it. The wax has dripped ...
A: Try a commercial steamer available for rent at many places. Steam the spot until the wax is ...
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| Asbestos in Brick and Mortar | 8/12/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: We have a 96 year old home that had a decaying chimney on the roof. It was a brick and limestone ...
A: I've never heard of that in my 30 years of experience working with chimneys. Thanks for using ...
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| to rebuild or not | 8/11/2008 | James Ball |
Q: The chimney in my 1927 Los Angeles home was damaged in an earthquake and needs to be rebuilt. We ...
A: I would say speak to your broker they will let you know in this market. you can disclose that you ...
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| to rebuild or not | 8/11/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: The chimney in my 1927 Los Angeles home was damaged by an earthquake and needs to be completely ...
A: That's your call as I'm not familiar with the market in your area. With that being said, it's ...
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| fireplace | 8/11/2008 | Randy Brooks |
Q: I have a preway freestanding fireplace model # fb26f I belive and am not sure if you burn wood in it ...
A: Brian, Without the manufactures installation instructions, it would be impossible to advise you on ...
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| solid fuel and liners | 8/11/2008 | James Ball |
Q: We live in a 1960s house which has a Wonderfire gasflame fire. Rubble falls down our chimney and ...
A: it is very hard to tell what is going on in your fireplace and why it "crumbles ever few weeks" I ...
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| Proper Insulation in Chase and Hearth | 8/11/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Bart, I know nothing about fireplaces so please forgive me if I provide too much or too little ...
A: You can insulate the chase and the bottom of the hearth extension. You shouldn't have to insulate ...
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| Venting two appliances into chimney | 8/10/2008 | Sean Folino |
Q: When having a liner installed, the installer replaced two separate connections, (gas water heater ...
A: We tie both appliances into a single Tee connector all the time. As long as it is sized correctly, ...
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| 2 way fireplace | 8/8/2008 | James Ball |
Q: I enclosed a carport into a family room a few years also the brick from the fireplace is in the ...
A: if I understand you correctly you want to bust through the back wall of your fireplace to the new ...
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| Chimney Through Second Floor | 8/8/2008 | Bart Ogden |
Q: Bart, We are in the process of converting a 2,000 sq.ft, two story woodshop into a house. It is ...
A: You'll need to install a residential chimney system in that instance from the firt floor ceiling ...
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| gas fireplace | 8/8/2008 | Randy Brooks |
Q: We have a gas fireplace. We have been living here for 3 years. The fire burns but the flame is not ...
A: Kimberly, I would have my system looked at by an NFI certified gas fuel specialist. You can find a ...
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| pellet insert in existing fireplace | 8/7/2008 | Randy Brooks |
Q: I have an open fireplace that I want to put a pellet insert in. The chimney is also used for a hot ...
A: Brad, You should have the chimney system inspected to the NFPA-211 standard. The NFPA requires a ...
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