What do you do when it rain all day?

[peeonme]

Wrong flue. You are thinking of flu (short for influenza). Just don't get it confused with a flume, or you just may spell your own doom.

It was meant as a play on words, the OP had complained of allergies and made reference to plugging up that part of his fireplace.

 

[Willie Boy]

It was meant as a play on words, the OP had complained of allergies and made reference to plugging up that part of his fireplace.

Really? I never would have guessed.

 

[star-warrior]

Can you guess what I was doing all day from the picture?

View attachment 1106181

You were coding.

Well, depends. I like to bake a little treat to brighten up the rainy day indoors.

 

[dpnice]

I don't think so. The flue is just the component that allows the chimney to be closed, like during rainstorms. Then the flue is adjusted to open the chimney so the smoke can escape when a fire is burning.

^ This isn't the flue.

The flue is an enclosed passageway for directing a current: as. a : a channel in a chimney for conveying flame and smoke to the outer air. b : a pipe for conveying flame and hot gases around or through water in a steam boiler

The flue is the part you clean each year to stop the soot building up on the sides.

 

[gsdx]

^ This isn't the flue.

The flue is an enclosed passageway for directing a current

I think he's referring to the 'damper'. You open and close the damper to control the airflow.

 

[Kahaih]

I think he's referring to the 'damper'. You open and close the damper to control the airflow.

You are correct.

The damper (a door) is used to close off the flue when there is no fire, and can be adjusted to control the airflow/draw when there is a fire.

The 'trick' to adjusting the damper is to draw out all of the smoke while keeping the desired amount of heat in the room, and of course, not cause too much draft (think: fan the flames) against the fire.

 

[Kahaih]

I don't use that fireplace. I have the vent (or whatever the hell you call the part that goes up from the fireplace) completely closed off.

We treat the fireplace as decoration.

That's about all they're good for anymore. Decent firewood is very rare and expensive, and open fireplaces are very inefficient.

You might look into having a gas (fake logs) unit installed, though. They make some very efficient charmers these days, and since they are passive (no fan/no electricity) units, they are great to have/use during power outages.

 

[peeonme]

If the OP has the flue completely closed off as he states then a damper to adjust or control the air flow would not be necessary, unless of course he is using the damper to do this, be he indicates a more permanent fix.
I don't know how this helps allergies

 

[dpnice]

Well I never would have thought that one day we would be discussing "flues" and "dampers" here on JUB.

Or are you all using code language that I don't understand?

 

[peeonme]

Well I never would have thought that one day we would be discussing "flues" and "dampers" here on JUB.

Or are you all using code language that I don't understand?

I fear that we are burning out and going up in smoke, my hope is to rise again from the ashes...

 

[zombiekiller]

That's about all they're good for anymore. Decent firewood is very rare and expensive, and open fireplaces are very inefficient.

You might look into having a gas (fake logs) unit installed, though. They make some very efficient charmers these days, and since they are passive (no fan/no electricity) units, they are great to have/use during power outages.

When we bought this house, we inherited a ton of firewood stashed up in the backyard. So, the previous owner really did use this fireplace.

A couple weeks ago, we built a fire pit in the backyard, so we'll be using that for wood burning. I'm simply not comfortable with burning wood in the house, although having a fireplace makes the house look a lot more stylistic.

 

[zombiekiller]

Well I never would have thought that one day we would be discussing "flues" and "dampers" here on JUB.

Or are you all using code language that I don't understand?

This is JUB. Everything about everything gets discussed, including how to make poo and what's on my dinner plate... ok that didn't come out right.

In other news, the weather is so beautiful outside I've effectively moved my office outdoor Nobody ever said anything about not being able to work in my car, so that's what I'm doing now.

 

[peeonme]

I believe that a fireplace is an appropriate subject in "hot" topics. As for poo, you never know when the shit will fly.

 

[zombiekiller]

I believe that a fireplace is an appropriate subject in "hot" topics. As for poo, you never know when the shit will fly.

I don't want to be anywhere near it when it flies.

 

[Kahaih]

When we bought this house, we inherited a ton of firewood stashed up in the backyard. So, the previous owner really did use this fireplace.

A couple weeks ago, we built a fire pit in the backyard, so we'll be using that for wood burning. I'm simply not comfortable with burning wood in the house, although having a fireplace makes the house look a lot more stylistic.

That could mean that the previous owner(s) never/rarely used the fireplace, or that they stopped using it for a reason.

Before/if you do use it, make sure you have the right insurance, and have both the fireplace and chimney inspected by a professional. If there are cracks in the flue liner it could let sparks into the house – it may not be safe to use.


Also, if the firewood has been sitting there for a long time, it could be very dry – over seasoned. It will burn up fast and hot.

 

[zombiekiller]

That could mean that the previous owner(s) never/rarely used the fireplace, or that they stopped using it for a reason.

Before/if you do use it, make sure you have the right insurance, and have both the fireplace and chimney inspected by a professional. If there are cracks in the flue liner it could let sparks into the house – it may not be safe to use.


Also, if the firewood has been sitting there for a long time, it could be very dry – over seasoned. It will burn up fast and hot.

Thank you for your advice. We have no intention of using the fireplace, though. Now that I know the risks involved, we will definitely not be using it. Fire pit in the back yard all the way!

 

[peeonme]

Thank you for your advice. We have no intention of using the fireplace, though. Now that I know the risks involved, we will definitely not be using it. Fire pit in the back yard all the way!

When I was a boy I had an Uncle that had the coolest house, he had a fireplace in his living room and also one in his basement. His basement was a true man cave, he was a hunter and had bear skin rugs and all kinds of trophies, we would sit and listen to him and my dad talk about the days on the farm when they were boys and watch the fire and listen to it crackle.

 

[Kahaih]

When I was a boy I had an Uncle that had the coolest house, he had a fireplace in his living room and also one in his basement. His basement was a true man cave, he was a hunter and had bear skin rugs and all kinds of trophies, we would sit and listen to him and my dad talk about the days on the farm when they were boys and watch the fire and listen to it crackle.

Primitive instincts?

Some 'experts' believe that we humans learned to be social creatures, and probably even developed language(s), while sitting around the fire cooking food and keeping nocturnal critters/predators at bay many hundreds of thousands of years ago.

 

[peeonme]

Primitive instincts?

Some 'experts' believe that we humans learned to be social creatures, and probably even developed language(s), while sitting around the fire cooking food and keeping nocturnal critters/predators at bay many hundreds of thousands of years ago.

As an adult I often wondered if man's romance with fire was wired into him by the early days, as you described. A little off of topic, but I have wondered if our "thing" with smoking is part of this, the flame and a certain romance with smoke in the air.

 

[Kahaih]

As an adult I often wondered if man's romance with fire was wired into him by the early days, as you described. A little off of topic, but I have wondered if our "thing" with smoking is part of this, the flame and a certain romance with smoke in the air.

This is precisely why most people who quit smoking become pyromaniacs. NO! Not really.

But yes, there likely is a strong connection there – with an innate desire to control fire and smoke. For what it's worth, it pleases me to see/know that you are that perceptive.