Building A Chimney Flue

The building code of australia contains certain recommendations about chimney and flue heights and their distances from other homes.

Building a chimney flue.

A chimney made of concrete blocks and ceramic flue tiles uses a special type of block that is sized and shaped differently than the 8 by 8 by 16 inch blocks found in concrete block walls. It s best to hire a professional to do the job for you but if you re determined to build your own chimney here are some basic things to consider. Weighing up options generally speaking brick chimneys and open brick fireplaces are seen as less desirable options than slow combustion heaters and flues these days because they re far less efficient dirty and they emit a lot of particles into the air. As you are building the outside of the chimney lay the flue tiles at the same time and use the mortar to seal them together.

Although the building criteria must be met to satisfy the local building regulations this does not guarantee the chimney or flue will perform satisfactorily. Around defective flashings between the chimney and the roof. Calculate the flue dimensions and minimum height the sizes needed for your flue and the height of your chimney are relative to the open area of your fireplace. For a chimney to work well it requires a good flow of air and for the flue to maintain as high a temperature as possible so there are exacting building regulations about chimney design.

Lay the brinks on top of each other building up the chimney s walls on each side. As noted in the previous section it may be made of either brick or metal pipe. Adjust if needed before the mortar dries. Or through the wall of the chimney stack itself where the fabric is too thin or too porous to prevent penetrating rain from getting around the flashings.

As you d expect the requirements controlling new chimneys flues and appliances are safety based and very detailed. For instance it s important for chimneys to be insulated as this keeps the smoke warm and lessens the chances of it condensing as tar deposits. There are three likely routes by which rain can enter the structure. Construct the flue and outside of chimney.

The flue connects the top of the smoke chamber to the roof through the middle of the chimney. Simply down the flue and into the building. Periodically use a level to make sure the brick wall is level both horizontally and vertically. Concrete chimney blocks are 24 inches square with a hole at the center that is sized to fit a section of vertical ceramic flue tile.