You are here:
- Home
- Industry
- Construction Industry
- Chimney & Fireplaces
Chimney & Fireplaces/Questions Answered by Expert Steve Tavares
| Subject | Date Asked |
| smokey fireplace | 1/10/2010 |
| Q: We have a woodstove in the garage, the flue exiting the stove is 8" and we reduced it down to 6". ... A: This would be doing quite the opposite. This would be promoting a better draft. If you are having ... | |
| FUMES | 1/7/2010 |
| Q: every TIME WE USE OUR GAS FIRE OUR LIVING ROOM FILLS WITH FUMES,WE HAVE IT VENTED THROUGH THE ... A: I would highly suggest having a professional or the company who installed it to check out what the ... | |
| Single Wall Stove Pipe Length | 12/15/2009 |
| Q: I have a workshop with a ceiling height of 18 feet. I understand that I can install a wood stove as ... A: Running 18 feet of single wall will be fine. I would much rather see double wall pipe. Security ... | |
| Double Sided Fireplace draws smoke | 12/13/2009 |
| Q: We have an existing double-sided fireplace in our home that was built in the 1960s. We recently had ... A: This sounds like negative pressure to me. You have negative pressure in one room and so that room ... | |
| Blower assembly | 12/10/2009 |
| Q: Guess John is busy. This site instructed me to ask another EXPERT my blower question. The two ... A: Now I am fairly certain that the Hurricane brand is made by a manufacturer that has gone out of ... | |
| Condensation on new chimney chase cap | 12/6/2009 |
| Q: I have recently replaced an old wood burning fireplace with a gas one. The old fireplace vented ... A: I would highly suggest insulating the fireplace chase and make sure to vapor barrier it and sheet ... | |
| Martin Fireplace Blower | 12/4/2009 |
| Q: Steve, I have a Martin Industries DBC36 Fireplace (insert, wood burining). They went out of ... A: Normally the plug gets run externally. I don't like to have a plug in outlet in the firebox because ... | |
| Gas Fireplace | 12/2/2009 |
| Q: Just moved into a home with a gas fireplace. The inspector stated that I need to seal the hole ... A: If your fireplace is vented through the wall and IF that's where it needs to be sealed then I would ... | |
| direct ven gas fireplace chimney insulation | 12/1/2009 |
| Q: wondering about putting a non-combustible insulation (roxsol) in the space around the horizontal ... A: I still wouldn't suggest putting any sort of insulation touching the chimney. The manufacturer ... | |
| coal burning insert | 11/30/2009 |
| Q: I recently installed an older model Gibraltar insert in my existing fireplace. I have met all ... A: If all clearances are met and the fireplace/Insert has been installed according the the manual. Then ... | |
| Build an open fire chimney into gas fire home | 11/29/2009 |
| Q: Im living in my council house 4 years, it only has a gas fire in sitting room(so no chimney only ... A: From what you decribing linda it should be able to be done. I would speak with a local fireplace ... | |
| gas fireplace turning off, then back on by itself | 11/27/2009 |
| Q: We have a gas fireplace that suddenly is working erratically. When in use, the fire occasionally ... A: It sounds to me like the fireplace switch. I would recommend taking the switch off and touching the ... | |
| franklin#3 burning high amount of wood | 11/20/2009 |
| Q: i have an old franklin#3 style stove made by portland foundry in main....it wooks great but im ... A: With the age of this stove they burn wood like its going out of style. That's just the way these ... | |
| GAS VALVE | 11/16/2009 |
| Q: Pilot will not stay on when button released, changed thermocouple and same things so figure the gas ... A: What I would suggest is speaking with local fireplace companies. Let them know what fireplace and ... | |
| flue length | 11/16/2009 |
| Q: We have problems with smoke comming back down the chimney after lighting our wood burning stove, we ... A: To tell you the truth I would have run it all the way up. But I want you to try something first ... | |
| Old Gas Fireplace | 11/16/2009 |
| Q: I have a very old gas fireplace in the house I just moved into. It has a gas lead coming from the ... A: It looks like what is there now is the way it is supposed to be. Some logsets actually have sand ... | |
| measuring for an insert | 11/15/2009 |
| Q: I WANT TO PUT A WOOD BURNING INSERT INTO A PREFAB ZC FIREPLACE. SHOULD I MEASURE FROM THE FLOOR OR ... A: What you need to measure is the opening of the unit. The opening needs to be bigger than the size of ... | |
| fireplace insert | 11/15/2009 |
| Q: I have a Fireside-Striker C160 insert rated for install into a zero clearance/factory built ... A: Hard to say. Here in Alberta it is prohibited to install any sort of insert into a zero clearances ... | |
| Wood stove installation | 11/14/2009 |
| Q: I am installing a wood stove using a 6" pipe into a 7" flue thimble. I have been advised by a ... A: Nothing is supposed to be touching the chimney. The insulated chimney requires a 2" Clearance. The ... | |
| stove pipe to chimney connection | 11/14/2009 |
| Q: Can I connect 8 inch stove pipe to 10 inch double wall chimney? My concern is if it will effect the ... A: In the province I'm in. There is a strict rule that you cannot do that. I would highly advise not to ... | |
| Fireplace Stove Insert | 11/11/2009 |
| Q: Is there anything that can be done to reduce the amount of noise coming from the fan/motor on the ... A: If the fan is old then you might be able to find a quiter replacement fan. Another option is to ... | |
| Coal stove pipe through fireplace damper | 11/10/2009 |
| Q: I have a coal stove with a 5" flue pipe, and want to install it on the raised hearth of my ... A: I would suggest speaking with a WETT certified person in your local area. I advise this because they ... | |
| wood stove install fireplace cavity | 11/10/2009 |
| Q: If i remove my ventilator fireplace and install my century wood stove can i run my original mark 700 ... A: 1) The chimney that must be used for a woodstove is Black double wall or single wall pipe from the ... | |
| Wood Fireplace Chimney | 11/8/2009 |
| Q: I have a wood fireplace that is not drawing correctly. There are two openings in the chimney. One ... A: I would say no. If you have two openings in the chimney then I would imagine that the other opening ... | |
| gas fire place pilot trouble | 11/7/2009 |
| Q: My gas fire place insert was starting up and running great for awhile then it started to just go out ... A: I would have a service person come out to look at the unit. It sounds to me like it could be the ... | |
| gas insert insulation | 11/7/2009 |
| Q: I have a 6000 series Heat&Glo insert that has cold air coming in around the sides or through the ... A: You should insulate and vapor barrier the inside of that dog house. The type of Insulation is up to ... | |
| Vintage wood cook stove/UL approved?/insurance | 11/5/2009 |
| Q: We have a circa 1930's Kalamazoo wood cook stove. I think it is called their President model. We ... A: With the age of this stove I'm almost 100% that is was not approved. If it was there will be a ... | |
| chimney leak | 11/4/2009 |
| Q: lately with the bad rain my wooden floors have become wet from water dripping off the stone, i ... A: I would recommend a roofer to come look at the chimney chase (box that the chrimney runs in on the ... | |
| stinky gas fireplace | 11/3/2009 |
| Q: We put in a Majestic vent-free gas fireplace in a new house nearly 5 years ago. We spent extra and ... A: It sounds like you have tried everything here and still no resolution. What the smell is I ... | |
| Preway Fireplace | 11/2/2009 |
| Q: I purchased a mobile home in 1983, it has a preway fireplace insert for wood burning, I now would ... A: I would look at the owners manual for this fireplace. If there is no knockouts to run the gas then I ... | |
| Blocking off (sealing) an unused wood fireplace | 11/2/2009 |
| Q: We have an unused wood burning fireplace that I would like to block off to reduce heat loss. It has ... A: Personally I would suggest putting insulation in the chimney to stop air from coming in. Then if you ... | |
| Gas Fireplace too hot | 10/30/2009 |
| Q: I converted woodburning fireplace to gas. The gas fireplace gives off too much heat and I cannot ... A: So You had a wood burning unit that was converted to a gas one. The damper is already open to allow ... | |
| blocked lower air intake grille | 10/28/2009 |
| Q: I have converted my fireplace from gas to what I thought would be wood burning. However, the lower ... A: A Masonry person certainly would make things easier, seeing as how they do this sort of thing. If ... | |
| relighting pilot light | 10/28/2009 |
| Q: We have a gas fireplace and we need to relight the pilot. Possible model #C-54813. I do not see an ... A: Interesting, Every fireplace with a standing pilot always has a ignition button there to start the ... | |
| stove | 10/27/2009 |
| Q: i have a dovre stove model 700. it seems to burn alot of wood. it doesnt seem to shut down when i ... A: From what i can tell the unit has an air control built on the left side of the unit to control the ... | |
| Schrader Fireplace insert | 10/21/2009 |
| Q: I have a Schrader fireplace insert in my family room. Is it possible to burn pellets in the insert ... A: If you have an insert that is specifically designed to burn one type of fuel then the only way to ... | |
| constructing an hearth for a zero clearance fireplace | 10/20/2009 |
| Q: We are in the process of remodeling a room where there's a zero clearance fireplace. The fireplace ... A: This now makes total sense. If you want you can put in that 2" strip then put stone on top of it. ... | |
| Temco 42-4 flue | 10/20/2009 |
| Q: I have a Temco Model 42-4 woodburning fireplace that was installed as a gas fireplace (gas starter, ... A: I would suggest having the fireplace inspected first before burning any wood. I would call someone ... | |
| chimney | 10/20/2009 |
| Q: i own a barbecue business,i use hickory wood to cook.my chimney needs to be replaced.how and what ... A: I would speak with someone who is WETT certified and knows your local building code. They will be ... | |
| Gas Fireplace burning more on one side than the other | 10/19/2009 |
| Q: My gas fireplace burns perfectly on one side but the other side has flames only about 2 inches when ... A: The only thing that I can suggest to do is to remove all the logs and put them back in as shown in ... | |
| Re: wasps removal and chimney sweep | 10/19/2009 |
| Q: We had a problem with a wasp nest inside our wood-burning fireplace - the wasps started to come into ... A: ok so here is what we need to do: A) Regular maintenance should be cleaning the chimney once a year ... | |
| Adding a Fireplace near a existing | 10/18/2009 |
| Q: I am planning to add a gas fireplace in my basement. Directly above this on the first floor is a ... A: I would suggest speaking to a fireplace specialist/sales person. When you go to look at a new ... | |
| Converting masonry fireplace to electric insert | 10/18/2009 |
| Q: The masonry fireplace in my basement is getting a makeover as part of a larger basement renovation, ... A: Well I'm glad to hear that your capping of the top of the chase. This will stop a large amount of ... | |
| Access for sweeping | 10/18/2009 |
| Q: We have a wood burner installed in our huse and when we got the sweep in he said it was unsafe ... A: So it sounds like you have a wood stove installed in your home. I'm not sure what it is that the ... | |
| wood burning insert | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: I am looking for a double sided wood burning insert. Does anyone make these or could they be custom ... A: By Wood burning insert I would imagine that you have already in place, a masonry fireplace. If this ... | |
| Removing old liner | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: I am replacing my old outside liner for a 2100 degree one old one is 1600 and seem to have a problem ... A: So you are actually removing pipe that is together. The pipe is screwed together somewhere. I have ... | |
| fireplace wood stove insert question | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: We just purchased a Drolet fireplace wood stove insert for our brick fireplace. The company does not ... A: Well Molly, I would always suggest a professional installation. There should always be a stainless ... | |
| constructing an hearth for a zero clearance fireplace | 10/17/2009 |
| Q: We are in the process of remodeling a room where there's a zero clearance fireplace. The fireplace ... A: If this is a wood fireplace then you will need to have a hearth that is non-combustible (16" in the ... | |
| Gas Fireplace off-gassing | 10/16/2009 |
| Q: After several service calls the manufacturer finally took it back tohe factory. When it came back ... A: This is an interesting dilemma. I would be talking with the factory and reason with them stating ... | |
| cracked glass | 10/15/2009 |
| Q: Hey Steve, I have a cracked area of tempered glass in a barely noticeable area of my gas fireplace. ... A: I would suggest changing the piece of glass. I would pull that panel out and talk with a glass ... | |
| Smoke in basement | 10/15/2009 |
| Q: I just had a second woodstove and chimney installed in my basement. The two chimneys are fairly ... A: Yes, This makes sense. As there is normally negative air pressure in the basement it would make ... | |
| Gas Fireplace pilot | 10/13/2009 |
| Q: I accidently turned fireplace off so that pilot was turned off. Now I cannot relight it. The ... A: OK, so if the pilot is not able to be pushed in then I would call a fireplace serviceman to come in ... | |
| free standing stoves | 10/10/2009 |
| Q: We have a Timberline free standing stove, built into the house, with a fireplace above. Four years ... A: A picture would sure help me out. If you can do me a favor and snap a couple of shots of the whole ... | |
| Fireplace opening size vs. flu size | 10/5/2009 |
| Q: I have two fireplaces, both have 8" x 8" flues. I have just had the insides re-done so we can have ... A: I suspect that the issue is Negitive air pressure. Please do me a favor and try this. Then let me ... | |
| Triple wall vs double wall stove pipe | 10/3/2009 |
| Q: Can you tell me what the significant differences are between double wall and triple wall pipe? A: Double wall is commonly referred as black smoke pipe which is usually connected off of a wood stove ... | |
| chimney pipe | 9/30/2009 |
| Q: is it possible to get pipe to bring a 1978 installation for a fireplace chimney to change from the ... A: I know that where I am in Canada, if we are adding pipe to existing pipe it has to be same model (or ... | |
| CERAMIC BBQ SMOKER | 9/25/2009 |
| Q: I have a large round green ceramic smoker I brought back on a C-5 from 'Nam in '70s. It is a great ... A: This unit sounds like the "Big Green Egg" I would try and find a dealer/Manufacturer for the BBQ ... | |
| Marco DF 46 Fireplace | 9/23/2009 |
| Q: I am having a hard time finding a replacement door for the fire place. It neither has the chain link ... A: If I'm correct the Marco is a factory made fireplace. If this is the case then (in our province) ... | |
| Riased hearth removal | 9/22/2009 |
| Q: Steve, I am wanting to remove my raised concrete hearth from my wood burning fireplace but am ... A: I will speak with one of my friends (does this sort of work for me) and see what he says. I will ... | |
| No Ignition | 9/20/2009 |
| Q: My pilot is lit but when I turn the wall switch on nothing happens. The fireplace does not light and ... A: I see this question pop up quite often. If your switch for the fireplace is a like a light switch ... | |
| installing gas unvented gas logs | 9/16/2009 |
| Q: We have just bought a home with a Martin Industries prefab wood burning fireplace. We want to ... A: In my opinion if your Heating/Cooling guy and the local store say it's alright to put them in then ... | |
| my fireplace | 9/16/2009 |
| Q: my house was built in the 70's and had that ugly 70's style rock on it so i removed the rock and ... A: Well, if the inspector says it should be done, then it should be done. If you want you can also ... | |
| exhaust for direct vent fireplace | 9/15/2009 |
| Q: i have a direct vent gas fireplace, taken out from a basement of my friendly where it was already ... A: Ok, So i now have a .PDF of the manual I can e-mail you. If you want you can e-mail me at ... | |
| Wood stove | 9/14/2009 |
| Q: Wewant to install a woodstove in the basement at the cottage ...how big will the hole have to be ... A: Well, it's going to depend on how big the diameter of the chimney is. Every chimney manufacturer ... | |
| exhaust for direct vent fireplace | 9/14/2009 |
| Q: i have a direct vent gas fireplace, taken out from a basement of my friendly where it was already ... A: The plate or sticker in the bottom of the fireplace should give the Model # and Make of the ... | |
| Vent free in a firebox | 9/13/2009 |
| Q: I'm curious why a firebox has to be specifically listed for use with vent-free logs. Can a propane ... A: My main expertise in in Canada. But I will answer this in my opinion. In Canada, where we get very ... | |
| fireplace surround | 9/12/2009 |
| Q: I have a pre-fab firebox surrounded by wood (how house was built). I want to tile around the ... A: The fireplace that is in your home now is what we call a "Zero Clearance Fireplace" so as long as ... | |
| nat gas stoves | 9/11/2009 |
| Q: I was replacing a natural gas stove and I noticed a white residue by the standing pilot what is this ... A: This residue is the same residue that is found on the glass of the fireplace/stove when the unit has ... | |
| exhaust for direct vent fireplace | 9/10/2009 |
| Q: i have a direct vent gas fireplace, taken out from a basement of my friendly where it was already ... A: Flex pipe is allowed on almost all fireplaces as long as the venting is approved with the unit (I ... | |
Chimney & Fireplaces
Answers by Expert:
Steve Tavares
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions relating to Gas and wood burning fireplaces, and stoves. Can answer some/most questions of BBQ's as well.
Experience
Been selling fireplaces for about 8 years in Edmonton.
Education/Credentials
8 Years experience on Wood and gas fireplaces.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.