Chimney & Fireplaces/masonry chimney

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Expert: - 3/25/2009


Question
I have a 5 year old house in VA.  I had the chimney swept and the man told me that he beleived that the clay flue liners were dry stacked and I need to install a metal liner.  I had the original mason come out and look at it and he said it was fine, that there wouldnt really be a visible mortar joint, that the mortar is just used to help keep the liner in place and that the inside of the chimney has to be free of mortar.  I dont know who to trust.  Should I be able to see a visible mortar joint if so how big?

Answer
Brian,

Great question. There is no requirement for specific size or thickness of a bedding joint within the flue lining. That being said, some amount of mortar should be present or the the butt joint is no different than a cracked flue liner. I am from California and flue liners are to back filled with mortar for seismic concerns. I may be incorrect, but I believe in you part of the country, an open air space (2" inches) is required between the flue liner and the surrounding masonry. If your liner sections have no visible mortar between the joints, this is cause for concern. If the tile are dry stacked. I would recommend investing in an NFPA-211 level II inspection at the minimum. Feel free to use the links at the bottom of my home page to find a qualified inspector in your area. I hope I have helped. Good luck.

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Randy Brooks

Expertise

Inspection of Masonry, Pre-cast Tilt-up, and Factory Built Fireplaces as well as Free Standing & Insert, Gas, and Wood Appliances. We also provide Hearth Fire Loss Investigations, Litigation Support, Consulting Services, Flue Sweeping, Installation and Repair. Additionally, I’ve been a chimney sweep for 23 years, service and install hearth appliances as well as being recognized by the Superior Court of California as an expert witness.

Experience

Brooks Chimney Sweeping Since 1989 Ojai, CA Owner / President www.brooks-hearth.com

Organizations
NCSG, MEMBER,(National Chimney Sweep Guild), Member since 1990, Board of Directors representing Region 6, (CA, NV, AZ, UT, OR, WA, ID, WY, MT, AK and HI,) 2004-2011, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. CSIA, BOD (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Board of Directors, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Secretary, 2005-2006, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. HPBA, MEMBER, (Hearth, Patio, & BBQ Association,) since 2002. NFPA Member, (National Fire Protection Association) Since 2009. Technical Committee member for the 211 Standard.

Education/Credentials
California State Licensed Contractor, C61-D34, #750710. http://www2.cslb.ca.gov C.S.I.A., (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Certified Chimney Sweep, #2580. Held since 1990 re-certified in ‘93, ‘96, ‘99, ‘02, ‘05, '08,'11. http://www.csia.org F.I.R.E. (Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Certified Inspector, #FP-006. Held since 2000, re-certified in ’03, ‘06. http://www.f-i-r-e-service.com Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Advance Expert Consulting & Witness, certificate, ’05 N.F.I. (National Fireplace Institute,) Certified Gas & Wood-Burning Specialist, #133851. Held since 2002, re-certified in '05,‘08. http://nficertified.org

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