Question for the experts. Roof / Water Heater / Chimney

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
SpartanEpoxies
House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
bud16415 said:
Well the new roof is on and the chimney is gone. The Amish guy took it down to below the roof and I quickly took it down to the attic floor passing the bricks up and out the hole in the roof to save hauling them thru the house. The water heater has been replaced. I left the hole the chimney made and the new steel roofing is above it with ridge venting. With hopes of that and the eve vents on both ends doing a good job of getting some heat out of the attic. It was in the 90’s yesterday so I have some good testing weather coming. The eve vents were originally windows on each end they would open for summer. The windows are still in place but when they did the vinyl siding they put perforated piece on the outside.

Here is my new question. The chimney I believe was original to the house so 137 years old. It is solid except where it was outside. To my surprise a little anyway it had no liner of any type just brick and mortar and it is fairly clean inside. At least not what I expected. It is a straight shot to the basement and would make a great chase for wires if needed. I’m thinking of dropping my antenna wire down it.

Do you guys think I could use it by placing a fan in it in the basement to circulate air out of the basement and into the attic thru the old chimeny. The basement is too cool in the summer months and the attic too warm. Would pushing the cool air into the warm space forcing the hot air out the eves or ridge and then drawing first floor house air down into the basement????

I know they have whole house fans that kind of do something like this. I’m picturing something like a small squirrel cage fan.
Click to expand...

Does fire stopping come to mind. As most or all of your mechanical is in the basement the last thing you want is a clear shot to the attic.
 
nealtw said:
Does fire stopping come to mind. As most or all of your mechanical is in the basement the last thing you want is a clear shot to the attic.
Click to expand...

That would be kind of like my staircase only smaller. But I do get your point and after watching our balloon framed hotel burn down a month ago I see the concept.

So a fire damper that opens when the fan is called for?
 
The concept is that of a whole house fan, but you should use a fan with a larger CFM than a small squirrel cage, because most of the volume will be taken up in the chimney.
 
bud16415 said:
That would be kind of like my staircase only smaller. But I do get your point and after watching our balloon framed hotel burn down a month ago I see the concept.

So a fire damper that opens when the fan is called for?
Click to expand...

Automatic I presume.
So the house is burning and the attic heats up, the the door opens and the fan turns on.

Basement air is always cooler, so you would pump that air up and out and replace it from main floor air and replace that with warm outside air?
 
Bud, I always caution folks with older houses about changing the thermal dynamics of an older structure. Buildings that have stood the test of time can be effected drastically by altering what they've grown accustomed to over the years. On some roof projects I have consulted with building science engineers from the shingle mfgs that allowed for variances on issues due to the age of the building. I would discourage bring cool moist air from the basement and introducing it into a hot attic. I understand your thought process, but I see problems that may occur.
 
oldognewtrick said:
Tuck your rain coat in your paints and wonder why your butt gets wet...
Click to expand...

Where have I heard that before...:trophy:

I agree , whole house fans on old homes could be a big issue.
Damp crawlspaces, dirt floors and balloon framing don't mix well.
Everyone has a unique home, moisture levels, usage, and barriers are best left for someone actually there looking at the property.
 
Thanks guys. I’m going with the experts on this one. Right now I just stuffed the hole in the basement with glass insulation. After I run my antenna wire down it I’ll cap it off better on both ends. It is real nice finally being able to walk the length of the attic without doing the limbo dance in the middle.

Does anyone know the R value of a tote full of Christmas stuff. She’s getting some serious totes up there.
 
Don't know about insulation value but they are a great source of heat. Decorating the house with my ex always heated things up:rofl:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top