Masonry Chimney Diagram

This chimney shows a fireplace flue on the left and a freestanding flue on the right side.
The freestanding flue may be used to vent freestanding stove or a furnace.

1.  Flue (shown with clay tile liners)

 2.  Smoke Chamber
 3.  Smoke Shelf
 4.  Fireplace, or Firebox
 5.  Ash Pit
 6.  Lintel
 7.  Hearth Extension
 8.  Face Wall
 9.  Mantel
10. Fireplace Chimney
11.  Crown, or Wash
12.  Chimney Cap
13.  Chimney
14.  Thimble, or Breech
15.  Cleanout Door

The Flue (1) is the passageway for smoke & fumes.

Clay flue tiles, used in most newer masonry
chimneys, provide a barrier that helps contain smoke, fumes and soot so they are not
absorbed into the masonry chimney.

Smoke Chamber (2) is the area above the fireplace and below the flue, used to allow
smoke to mix and rise into the flue. Because smoke tends to linger here, large deposits of
creosote often accumulate here.

Smoke Shelf (3) helps collect small amounts of rain that may enter the chimney.
Considerable creosote deposits may collect here. The hinged plate shown is the Damper
which is used to close off the chimney when the fireplace is not in used. Helps to prevent
loss of heated air up the chimney.

Fireplace (4) is where the fire is built and viewed.

Ash Pit (5) is a passageway that ashes may be emptied into.

Lintel (6) is a piece of metal that supports the face wall (8).

Mantel (9) is a decorative shelf above the fireplace. The one shown is made of brick but
others may be made of wood, plaster, stone, cast iron or other decorative materials.
Crown (11), also called a Wash, is a sloped bed of mortar that helps shed rain water.
When this crown is cracked or deteriorated then rain can be absorbed into the chimney
and cause rapid deterioration.

Chimney Cap (12) helps keep rain from entering

the flue. An open flue is like a huge bucket that
can allow large amounts of rain water to enter.

Thimble, or breech (14) is the passageway for a

freestanding stove or furnace to connect to the
chimney.

Cleanout door (15) is used to remove creosote and other foreign matter
from the chimney. The cleanout door should be tightly sealed to prevent
cool air from entering the chimney as this reduces proper drafting efficiency.

Other terms commonly used in reference to chimneys and

fireplaces: Chimney Liner is a separation between the fumes in
the flue and the walls of the chimney. Newer chimneys are most commonly
built with clay tile liners which are mortared together in sections as the
chimney is built. Other chimney lining methods, most often seen when an old
chimney is retrofitted with a new liner or where a chimney is re-lined after
suffering damage, includes stainless or aluminum pipe and a multitude of
cast-in-place liners which may be poured and formed. Different lining
methods are recommended depending upon the type of appliance used in the
chimney and the chimney's overall condition.

Looking up a chimney from the bottom. The white spot is the

sky. Note the creosote deposits in this chimney and the cracked
flue tiles. Vertical cracks like the one shown indicate chimney
fire damage. Creosote is a flammable black deposit in chimneys
that results from burning wood. Creosote removal is the most
common reason for sweeping the chimney.

 
 Deteriorated chimney mortar crown, which is allowing water
to be absorbed into the brick chimney from the top.

A newly laid mortar crown with a stainless steel chimney

cap installed

Spalling is a condition wherein clay tile flue liners chip or peel. This is most often due to
moisture mixing with corrosive deposits. Spalling compromises the integrity of the
chimney liner and its ability to contain chimney fumes.

Tuckpointing is a masonry term that refers to repair of the

mortar joints between bricks. When this mortar has weakened
or started to fall out , as in the photo at right, then bricks may
become loose. Tuckpointing refers to installing new mortar
between the bricks.

Parging is a layer of masonry

that covers masonry surfaces
(bricks, firebricks, cement
block). Sometimes tuckpointing
is not a sufficient means to repair bricks, especially in the
smoke chamber above the fireplace.

Efflorescence is a white stain that appears on bricks. It is due to moisture problems

mixing with chlorides. It is an unsightly stain that indicates a problem with the chimney
not venting properly. Most often seen on chimneys venting gas appliances and is an early
sign of deterioration.
A.C.E.
The Association of Chimney Engineers

B.B.A.
The British Board of Agrement. A government funded body responsible
for testing and approving products and systems used in the Building and
Construction Industry. Certified products and systems can carry the BBA
logo

Boiler
Closed burning appliance designed to transfer heat from combustion to
water or air which in turn is used for heating remote parts of dwelling -
can burn any fuel.

Bressemer
The bressemer is the large timber or stone that form the top of an
inglenook fireplace.

Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is almost always found in the exhaust gases of burning
appliances. It is the result of restricted combustion. The gas is highly toxic
and inhibits the blood's capacity to carry life-sustaining oxygen to our
brains and muscles. The symptoms starting with shortness of breath, mild
headaches and nausea, can lead to unconsciousness and death.

Chimney
A chimney is a structural column of masonry, including a number of flues,

Chimney Fan
an electrical unit that is fitted to the top of a chimney to overcome a lack of
up draught cause by a flue that is too small, or restricted in height. Will
not necessarily overcome the inadequacies of a poor fireplace design.

Chimney Stack
The chimneystack is the freestanding section of the chimney, above the
roofline. Being exposed to the elements as is the part most liable to wear
and tear. The wealthier the owner the more elaborate the chimneystack.

Chimney pot
the chimney pot was originally a decorative terminal to the chimney and
the degree of ornateness reflected the wealth of the owner (see Hampton
Court Palace (London). Many early chimneys would have been built
without chimney pots, which only became fashionable in the mid 19th
century.

Condensation
Occurs when the temperature of a moist gas falls below the dew point
temperature, at which level the moisture begins to form as droplets. Most
noticeable on surfaces whose temperature is below dew point.

Condensing boiler
Modern generation of boilers, usually gas fired, where the boiler efficiency
has been increased by using the waste heat in the flue gases. They have a
very low flue gas temperature and require an insulated drained flue.

Cowls
There are many types of cowls and they serve several functions.

• To keep the rain out of the chimney

• to keep birds out of the chimney

Test has shown that the effectiveness of cowls to increase the up-draught
and to eliminate downdraft is very limited and unless the cause of the
problem is known, the appropriate cowl cannot be selected.

Dew Point
the temperature at which the moisture in a gas commences to form
droplets. The temperature varies according to the type of gas, and the
moisture concentration.

Flaunching
The flaunching is the weatherproof top of a masonry chimney (often
concrete) which sheds the rainwater off the top. It is also used to secure the
chimney pots.

Flue
Separate compartment within a chimney. A chimney may have several
flues. Every fireplace (and/or appliance) should have its own flue within
the chimney. Each flue should be gas tight.
Flue pipe
The pipe connecting a closed burning appliance to the flue. Usually cast
iron, stainless steel, or vitreous enamelled steel.

Furnaces
American terminology for boiler

Gather
The gather is located above the open fire, and (as its name implies) gathers
the smoke into the flue.

Inglenook
A very large traditional open fire in which the fire was continually burning
on the hearth, which formed the prime heat source in the house as well as
the place for cooking. The flue from the inglenook was un- throated and
possibly 80% of the heat was lost up the flue.

Mid-feathers
The traditional chimney is divided into the various flues with mid feathers
built of brick, stone, or slate. The mid-feathers are often the first unit in
the chimney to fail as generally they are not tied in to the rest of the
chimney structure and will collapse.

NACLE
The National Associatiaon of Chimney Lining Engineers (U K)

NACS
The National Association of Chimney Sweeps (UK)

Oversailing
The head of a chimney has both a visual and functional purpose. It is
designed to prevent the rainwater falling on the chimney from running
down the face of the chimneystack. If the water runs down the face of the
stack it will quickly wash out the mortar leaving the chimney un-sound.

Parging (pargetting)
Because it was always very difficult to ensure that masonry was gas tight,
the mason parged or rendered the flues using a traditional mixture of cow
dung and lime. This was more recently replaced by a lime/cement/sand
mix, which has itself been replaced by the requirement for all flues to be
lined in new buildings in the UK from 1965 onwards.
Register plate
Used where a stove or boiler is installed into a traditional chimney. It is the
closing plate installed at the base of the flue registering the position of the
flue pipe. It prevents heat loss up the flue and air from the room being
drawn up the flue. It should be gas tight.

Romford Fireplaces
A design of fireplace introduced into the UK in the early part of the 19th
century by Count Romford (self-styled) whose paper to the Royal Society
drew attention to the fact that fireplaces improved ventilation in rooms
thereby reducing illness. His design included shaping the back of the
fireplace and it introduced a throat to reduce heat loss and a smoke shelf.
It is still common today in some fireplace designs.

Smoke Shelf
The smoke shelf is located above the throat and is designed to prevent
down moving cold air affecting the outlet from the fireplace.

Soot door
The access door into the flue for sweeping, also known as a sweeping
hatch. Should be located to allow any debris falling down the chimney to
be removed.

Stove
Closed burning appliance designed for local space heating - can burn any
fuel.

Sweeping hatch - See soot door

Throat
The throat is located immediately above the opening of fireplace. It is
designed to restrict the heat loss up the flue. In sophisticated designs the
throat can incorporate a damper mechanism to adjust the area to best suit
the circumstances of that time (e.g. to close it completely when not in use).

Withes
Another name for mid-feathers (see above)
Terminology
CHIMNEY BASE FLASHING: A corrosion-resistant sheet metal installed at the base
of a chimney to divert water and prevent leaks.

DRIP EDGE: A narrow strip of non-corrosive, non-staining, finishing material installed

along the eaves and rakes to allow water run-off to drip clear of underlying construction.
On eaves where gutters are present, this material is commonly called gutter apron.

EAVES: The end and bottom portion of the roof that extends past the outer walls.  Often
covered with vinyl or aluminum.

FASCIA: The vertical board at the eaves, oftentimes covered with vinyl or aluminum.

HORIZONTAL SIDING: Provides style and functionality for the outer walls. Available
in various materials, colors, textures and designs.

HOUSE WRAP: Material designed to allow moisture to escape and to prevent air from
coming in.  Applied to the outer walls.

ICE BARRIER:  A thicker more durable underlayment that is applied on the bottom 3 to
6 feet of a roof to provide more protection of roofs in northern climates where ice jams
may occur.

LOOKOUT: A horizontally positioned board used to brace the trusses of a roof.

RAKE: The outer edge of a roof from the eave to the ridge.

RIDGE BEAM: The top support beam between opposite slopes or sides of a roof.

RIDGE SHINGLES: Shingles used to cover the horizontal external angle formed by the
intersection of two sloping roof planes.

ROOF SHEATHING: The structural base of a roof. Also called the roof deck, or
decking.  This material can either be boards or more commonly is made of plywood type
material.

ROOF TRUSS / RAFTERS: The framework that supports a roof.

SHINGLE SIDING: A siding option typically manufactured from red cedar, which
weathers to a silvery gray or medium brown, depending on local climate; and white
cedar, which weathers to a silvery gray.

SHINGLES: The outermost covering of a roof. Composition shingles are manufactured

from materials "composed" of fiberglass, modified asphalt and mineral granules (There
are also rubberized varieties). Wood shingles and shakes (shakes are split rather than
sawn) are made from western red cedar. Other roofing options include clay and concrete
tiles, slate, metal, mineral roll roofing, and tar and gravel.

SOFFIT: The finished underside of the eaves. Soffit panels are available in wood, vinyl
and aluminum.

STEP FLASHING: A corrosion-resistant sheet metal used to waterproof the angle

between a chimney, skylight, dormer, etc. and a sloping roof.

UNDERLAYMENT: An asphalt-impregnated felt laid under most roofing materials as a

secondary water barrier. Felt is classified by weight per "square," (100 sq. ft.) usually 15
or 30-pound. Underlayment is also called tar paper or felt. 

VALLEY: The intersection of two sloping roofs joining at an angle to provide water
runoff.

VALLEY FLASHING: Made from aluminum or galvanized steel, this additional water
barrier is installed after the roof and valley have been covered with underlayment.

VENT FLASHING: A flat piece of pre-cut sheet metal installed on top of the
underlayment to prevent leaks from occurring where roof vents are present.

VERTICAL PANEL SIDING: Plain, patterned, or grooved panels of plywood or

hardboard that provide style and functionality to the outer walls.

WALL SHEATHING: The first covering of boards or plywood on the outside wall of a
frame house to provide structural rigidity.

WALL STUD: An upright piece of wood used to frame a house and support the walls of
the structure.