Chimneys Explained #11 - Smoke Chamber

Smoke chambers are design to transition hot gases from a burning fire that travels through the damper opening and flows up to the chimney liner. IRC code R1001.8 require the smoke chamber to be parged smooth to quickly draft the smoke up the chimney which reduces creosote.

[cardude]

You still need to make it big enough for Santa to get in.

[stephaneferron]

I have a question for you, could you run multiple source on a single chimney? Example could you run like a fireplace in the living room, a wood burning oven in the kitchen and a wood store on a second floor bedroom all on the same chimney?

[Forbidden_Word]

Chimneys are cool, dressing dapper is cooler.

[chriswhite]

I think mine was built incorrectly because the smoke chamber has bricks that aren't flush but close in, stepwise

[redsresearch]

how do you air seal and insulate chimney in attic?

[patrickbowen]

Oh, how sweet it is to be assured that the last chimney smoke chamber I built, was not only dimensionally perfect, and WAS, but really didn't need to be parged because it wasn't corbeled and built with firebrick. 3 smooth sides, 30 degrees off vertical in 3 feet without it collapsing aint easy, I promise! Took me three days, alot of double-miter cuts, and got cussed out by my boss for the extra time it took but, eh, it was worth doing it just to see it done. If your knowledgeable of it, would be nice to see some videos of thermodynamics and stack effect calculations for chimneys. Example, is draft more dependent on buoyancy, temperature, and pressure of smoke or cross-wind exit draft?

[visano.]

Can you explain on the problem with Indian style chimneys as we're having a lot problem with smokey fireplace. It's casually built by head masonry's without any professional guidance

[detroitsurvivor]

My fireplace is unusable due to smoke coming back into the house. Chimney guy said my house is sealed up to tight and the return to my furnace is basically in a straight line to the fireplace (even though it's at least 50ft away in the other room with stairs in the way) so it sucks the smoke in. Does this sound right to you, or might i have an issue with the way the chimney was built?

[Ddavog]

what flue tile weighs 100lbs? 20lbs maybe but 100?

[intrafisicas]

Your illustration is not helpful- you need to use better graphics for each point you make.

[kevinbenoit]

Your saying us brick masons can't do math. Then you go on to say each tile ways 100 pounds, 20 ft. would be 2000 pounds, .... flue tiles are two ft. long. that would make it 1000 pounds. So either you did'nt know a flue was 2 ft. long. or YOU can't do math.... Just saying.

[jolldoes]

He won’t reply just talking talking clean suit hat and let not forget clean hands !!!

[southernproud]

I don't give a *#'& about government control building codes