Expert: James Ball - 12/2/2008

Question
James, My house is 56 years old with the fireplace in the center of the house. I recently removed the gas logs to burn wood.  By all appearances the fireplace looked like it was in great shape but when I burned my first fire I noticed a smoky smell in two upstairs closets that are adjacent to the chimney. After a closer inspection I found that several of the flue tiles were shifted or off set.  Two in particular were off set enough to create a 1/4" opening about 2/3 of the way up the chimney. I wanted to correct the problem by inserting 6" black pipe in the existing 7" flue but have read a lot of correspondence that says this is a no no.  Why? We only burn occasionally because we like the look and feel of a fire in the winter. If I can't use the black pipe is there another reasonably priced solution for a do it yourselfer?

Answer
Hello Kevin, I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have. "reasonably priced solution for a do it yourself" I would think  safety would be your first concern for both your family and home. this fireplace may need a relining or coating (Thermocreete)to fix it (insulated liner might be your best and safest bet)but it must be sized properly to the fireplace size.
keep me posted
James