Combination Wood / Oil Fired Appliances on Same Floor May Share a Common Flue
. A wood-fired heating appliance may be vented into the same chimney flue as an oil-fired heating appliance provided that they are on the same floor – in some jurisdictions.
And the answer is simple:
if the chimney is on the party wall, then the party wall act applies
. This is usually the case, because at least one side of the flue is usually on the party wall, and, in some cases, the chimney itself can overlap and become shared in the loft spaces of the two properties.
Your problem is not new but tends to be more common in tight, well built modern houses with multiple fireplaces sharing the same chimney.
Fireplaces can’t share the same flue
but can be run in the same chimney with their own flue liners.
Can a chimney be used to vent more than one appliance?
A solid-fuel-burning appliance or fireplace shall not connect to a chimney passageway venting another appliance. In other words,
only one appliance per flue
, period.
Are chimney flues connected?
Inside a chimney you’ll find one or more vertical passageways called flues. Ideally,
each appliance connected to the chimney (such as each fireplace, each furnace, each wood stove) has its own, separate flue
. More than one flue might be contained in one masonry chimney.
Can you add a wood burning stove to an existing chimney?
Chimney and Flue Size
You can only fit a wood burner in your fireplace if it has a class 1 chimney
. If you had an open solid fuel fire previously, this should be the case anyway! If you are replacing a gas fire, check to make sure it isn’t a class 2 or pre-cast flue, as these won’t be suitable for a stove.
Combination Wood / Oil Fired Appliances on Same Floor May Share a Common Flue
. A wood-fired heating appliance may be vented into the same chimney flue as an oil-fired heating appliance provided that they are on the same floor – in some jurisdictions.
Is a damper and flue the same thing?
A damper is located in the flue of your chimney
. The flue is where the smoke escapes when the fire is going. Dampers are placed inside of the flue to help control ventilation. Your damper should have a chain or handle that you can access in order to open and close it.
Does each fireplace have its own chimney?
As fires burn they give out combustion gases which are carried out of the home by a flue. Standard brick chimney flues are 9′′ squared.
Each fireplace will have it’s own separate flue
which is divided by the mid feathers.
Why would a chimney have two flues?
A flue is a venting system, each system needs its own so
If you heat your home with oil or gas and have a fireplace
you would have two flues. Often times they are in one chimney so if you were to look down the chimney it would be separated into two venting system inside one chimney.
What is a double flue chimney?
A double flue is
a set of two flues which are routed out of a structure together
. These types of flues are sometimes inserted into existing chimneys, and in other cases, a chimney may be designed from the start with the intent of being a double flue.
The whole of a shared stack can only be removed if both owners are in agreement
– if it is on account of defect the cost will generally be split but if it is being done as part of improvement works to one property the owner benefitting from those works will generally carry the cost.
Can you vent a wood stove into a chimney?
Stoves can be added to a fireplace in several ways.
Free-standing stoves can be installed so that the stove pipe enters into the fireplace chimney above the damper, through the damper or into the firebox below the damper
. Properly designed stoves can also be inserted into the fireplace opening.
Can two furnaces vent into the same chimney and can they be on different levels of the home?
Yes they can
.
Should the smaller appliance vent connect into the chimney above or below the vent from the larger appliance?
When venting two appliances separately into a common chimney,
always install the smaller flue pipe (appliance with lowest GPH input) at a higher point into the chimney than the larger flue pipe for the appliance with the largest GPH input
.
For instance,
a wood-burning fireplace cannot share a flue with a gas or oil furnace
. This requirement was put in place because the heat from a residential furnace exhaust can actually ignite the flammable creosote produced by wood-burning appliance or fireplace. Yikes!
Do you need a chimney liner for a wood stove insert?
When an insert has no liner, or a partial liner, it cannot be cleaned in the normal way
(by putting a brush into the chimney through the insert). Doing so would cause ash and creosote to fall behind the insert, where it would build up and potentially ignite.
What kind of chimney do I need for a wood stove?
A
prefabricated metal chimney unit
may be the best choice for wood stoves or fireplaces in these homes. Prefabricated chimneys are easier to erect than masonry units, and although materials cost more, total unit cost will be nearly the same.
Can you run a stove pipe up a chimney?
Smoke travels much better upwards than side to side. If your new stove will sit right in front of your fireplace – or in the firebox as a fireplace insert – then in terms of smoke flow,
you shouldn’t have a problem, as long as the vent opening in the stove is close in size to the existing flue
.
Can you use fireplace without damper?
Whether your fireplace is gas or wood-burning, if it was built with a pre-fabricated insert, then it almost certainly has a damper. And while
older wood-burning fireplaces can function safely without a damper
(gas fireplaces cannot), a chimney without a damper is just a gaping hole in the roof of your house.
Does a wood stove have to have a damper?
Newer models of wood stove don’t typically require a damper
. A damper was traditionally used on older, less efficient, models of stove to help reduce the flow of air leaving the firebox. Certified modern stoves meet stringent regulations and typically won’t need a damper to perform well.
Do you need a damper and a flue?
This keeps heat in the room where your fireplace or wood burning stove is located and prevents cold drafts from coming into other rooms.
A flue should always have an open damper when you’re using it, but whether or not a house has one depends on its age and how well-insulated it is
.
