What are these on my chimney

[ottosump]

I've recently installed a log burner in an old fireplace situated in our Kitchen, the flue was cleaned and checked as OK by our sweep & the guys installing the chimney pot. When we use the log burner its fine for 90% of the time, however now and again we get a few wisps of smoke coming out of the bathroom fireplace, the smoke seems to eminate from the lower hearth section. The kitchen and bathroom fireplace are on the same stack but have individual flues, I was told that the problem may be that the "Feathers" have breached, which I believe are the bricks to seperate the individual flues. What I want to know is, what is the clay pipe & the air brick on the chimney stack, (see photo) any info would be appreciated.

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• ottosump
• 2 Jan 2011
• 1

PS: - The stack to the left is mine, one on right neighbours, bathroom flue runs on left of my stack with the log burner flue on the right, you can just make out the chimney pot for the burner.

 

[hotrod]

I've recently installed a log burner in an old fireplace situated in our Kitchen, the flue was cleaned and checked as OK by our sweep & the guys installing the chimney pot.

Did you do the smoke bomb or did the sweep otto?

What I want to know is, what is the clay pipe & the air brick on the chimney stack, (see photo) any info would be appreciated.

That air-brick looks to me like it's serving a separate flue (i.e. not the bathroom or burner flue). I would take a guess (and it's not really my field of expertise) that there's an additional flue that's been capped (chimney pot removed) and that's been added to provide ventilation through the flue to the breast and somewhere there will/should be a chimney breast that's boarded up with a vent so you have through ventilation.

Your clay pipe looks like something has been discharging out of it......

 

[Nige F]

Clay pipe is a form of downdraft relief hole