duztee

Sorry all the old chimney threads are closed.
I still get an inspector call every year ( unlike most people on the forum) There was no inspection last year because of Covid and do not know if they are resuming anytime soon.

I would like to modify one of my stacks because the bottom 1.75 mts is solid with the hollow part starting from there up, and it would be more useful if it started lower down.
BUT this is of the old design of just bricks built into a square and is not compliant with current requirements, so if I want to change the bottom bit am I going to have to meet the new regulations all the way to the top?

Peter_in_Hungary

I would be surprised if the lower part of the chimney was built any different to the top part, rather than just filled in, so it may be a fairly easy job to empty out the core rather than rebuild the bottom to match the top.
The problem with rebuilding the bottom of the chimney is that it has the top part sitting on it. Obvious but this will create problems.
In your position I would get a bricky to do the work and say nothing.
The functioning of a chimney depends upon what type of stove will be used. If it is going to be a modern wood burning stove then consider having the chimney lined. If it will be a ceramic storage heater type common here then a traditional chimney will be fine providing it is in good order.
All chimneys should have a cleaning door at the base and one higher up if it is a tall chimney (typically in the attic) Check to see if there is such a door at the base of the chimney which will give a clue to the way the chimney was originally built

duztee

Spot on as usual Peter.
There is indeed a second cleaning door in the attic, this is true of all my chimneys, I checked since I was up there.
The bottom door as I said is 1.70 up from the floor which is ok for the present old dilapidated wood burner which has a top outlet and metal pipe running up and entering above just below ceiling height. The newer one I would have liked to fit only has rear outlet so would be too far out into the room if plumbed in the same fashion.
I am hopeful that you are correct in that the lower part of the core may just be infill, in which case it may be possible to simply cut a narrow slot in the brickwork and remove the infill without risking the integrity of the structure, if I can bring the hollow section down by about 70/80 cms this would solve the problem.

Sachina

Like you we used to get a chimney sweep/inspector come round every year, until last year when they stopped due to Covid. I'm a fireman's daughter and thought of going another winter without having the chimney cleaned, worried me to death, I contacted the company who'd provided the service in the past to find they no longer do so but gave me the name of another company who according to their website cover the whole of Hungary. You could try them.

Településeink - Abakémény Kft.

My chimney was finally swept last Thursday and the man that did it told me that whilst the stack inside the house was in good condition, the part outside needed repointing otherwise it might fall down. (I'm now searching for a builder to do the repair)

My house is 80 years old and I have two chimneys, only one of which I use, which are both the square brick type. The "entry" to clear the soot is 50 cms from the floor and I can get half a bucket load out of it every 6 months or so after I've removed and cleaned the metal pipes that go from the 2 wood burning stoves into the wall.

PaulinEger

Our house is vályog and more than 100 years old and has the same, pipe entrance into the chimney as yours, at about 170 cm from the floor.
A couple of years ago I wanted to cut a lower entry point but, despite drilling a series of holes into the wall from about 50 cm up, I couldn't find a cavity. The bottom of the chimney starts at about 170cm up.
The old lady next door, whose father was born in our house in 1914, told us that that is how they built the chimneys back then.
We get the katasztrófavédelem to check and clean our chimney. It's a free service and they also check our gas appliances for carbon monoxide leaks. The last time they were here they said that I had to change the concrete door access to the chimney in the loft to a modern metal one.

duztee

Paul you certainly have an efficient chap, I had to pay for each chimney inspected. they did check for CO leaks but for sure never ventured to check the attic trap doors, mine are concrete also as I discovered a few days ago.
As for that's how they built them back then . . . and were still building them the same way in the 70s and 80s judging by my house!

I notice Sachina has two wood burners going into one chimney if I read her post correct. I was told by Hungarian 'expert' that only one per chimney is allowed, have I been ill informed yet again.

wolfi

To be on the safe side having just wood burner per chimney is not a bad idea.
In our house near the Balaton we had a "Kandaló" on each floor and you won't believe how much black "sludge" we had to clean from the chimneys every few months. The cleaning door for each chimney was about half a meter above ground.
A bit OT:
It's not a bad idea to have a carbon monoxide detector in the relevant rooms where the wood is burned.

farka

Does anyone have experience of using the 'cleaning powder' available at the hardware stores? I've been using it but not sure exactly what it does/how to use it. Every few weeks during the burning season I've thrown a few tablespoons into the woodburner....and wondered if I'm just making toxic ashes...?

Sachina

You're correct, the wood stove in the kitchen and living room both go into the one chimney. Because I have gas central heating as well I normally only use the stove in the living room. In the 14 years I've lived here and the numerous times the chimney's been swept, no one has ever mentioned that only one burner per chimney is allowed.

Ideally I have the chimney cleaned once a year and every three months or so I remove and clean the metal pipe that connects the stove to the chimney. to prevent the hole where the pipe enters the chimney becoming blocked with soot.

Peter_in_Hungary

It is legal to have 2 flues into one chimney but they need to be separated by 20 cm mln. I don't like this practice. Sent from a marina on an adriatic island!!

duztee

I thank you all for taking the time to respond to a subject which has been discussed a number of times before.
My only remaining worry now is that in 10 years I have never swept the chimney! unlike you conscientious lot who do so very regularly.
In my defence I would point to passing the annual inspection every year up until last year, with no soot or residue problems being detected. The only possible explanation is my 'burn' habit, I never have a boring slow burn kept in for most of the day but cram the thing choc-a-bloc full and then blast away with the air vents fully open until the stove top is cherry red. I may well be wasting a lot of heat straight up the chimney but by the time it has burnt down I need the doors and windows wide open and the room retains sufficient temperate for the entire day, though seriously cold days might require the electric heater for the last hour or two before bed.
OK so not good practice but much more enjoyable in a pyromaniacal sort of way :-)

Sachina

I have around a 40 cm separation between mine.

Peter_in_Hungary

Thats ok then. Depending on the stoves and chimney you can get smoke from the first one lit feeding into the second so care must be taken. I don't think new 2 into 1 connections are allowed but existing ones are tolerated
It

FenTiger

Thanks for posting the link as we need to get ours checked. The wood burner is in the pince/cellar. The gas boiler in the kitchen. I've only one carbon monoxide detector which I've yet to install. Two reasons for that: where do I fit it? I'm thinking in the space between the access to the pince/cellar and kitchen as the gas boiler is pretty close to that same space. The other reason being I'm new to drilling holes in Hungarian built walls or ceilings!!!