Adjacent Oil and Gas flues

[Stuart Brooks]

1918 house today had 1992 remodeling that appears to have included a chimney for a oil furnace and a gas log fireplace. Other than the cracks in the crown cap and the short flue tiles - I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling with the two flues almost butting. The direct vent flue for the gas log appliance is above the oil furnace vent. Someone added a shield on the side of the oil flue rain cap in an apparent attempt to separate the gases. Anyone have a reasonable common sense explanation why this installation might be unsafe or unacceptable

[Bob Harper]

The oil flue should extend about 18" above the top of the gas vent termination. The sulfurous fumes will eat up that aluminum cap. Also, those fumes can get entrained back into the air intake of that direct vent cap drawing acidic fumes all the way down into the fireplace where it can rot out everything. The best way to extend the flue is to reline it and use an extension piece of stainless steel to the listed termination. At my suggestion, at least one liner mfr. now makes an extension for just this application.

Your suspicions were correct.

[John Arnold]

Camera on a stick? Home-made or store-bought?

[Stuart Brooks]

Thanks Bob!

[Stuart Brooks]

Camera on a stick? Home-made or store-bought?

Homemade. 24' extension pole with a camera attachment I made from a cheap paint roller handle for the threaded part to screw onto the pole. I use cheap tripods for my Radon monitors so I had a ball joint camera mount to attach to the handle.

I've had chimney's that I wouldn't have been able to see the top if I had a 40' ladder and I have few roofs that would allow a safe base for a ladder. Plus, the ladder feet can damage the shingles. I also use this gadget to see the roofs of 2-3 level houses when there is no way to view from ground. Sometimes I have to use a ladder in conjunction with the stick but I have also stuck it out upper story windows. Put the camera in video mode and run it up. I use a screen capture program to pull a picture of anything I might need in a report.

Next - articulated joint with remote control and camera with live feed to a monitor/recorder at the base of the pole.

[Bill Hetner]

Stuart, your home made pole is something we can all use!! good idea now we all just waiting for someone to take it to the next level with remote control and images sent down to a monitor. Yes the tech is out there currently just not set up for the average home inspector at a price we all can afford to buy off the shelf.

As to the gas vs oil flues good call. cross flowing gases can cause some serious problems. looks like who ever did the gas install was just thinking of their job and not what other uses the chimmey had and what was really going on. good example of poor workmanship.

[Stuart Brooks]

Stuart, your home made pole is something we can all use!! good idea now we all just waiting for someone to take it to the next level with remote control and images sent down to a monitor. Yes the tech is out there currently just not set up for the average home inspector at a price we all can afford to buy off the shelf.

As to the gas vs oil flues good call. cross flowing gases can cause some serious problems. looks like who ever did the gas install was just thinking of their job and not what other uses the chimmey had and what was really going on. good example of poor workmanship.

There is a product being sold in Canada that looks interesting but the guys selling it will not provide an address or any form of proof that the company and product are real. Even if it's being run out of their garage, they should publish contact information other than an email address.