Whether to remove the chimney was a tough decision. Certainly the effort to do so was considerable, but what the resulting new chase would offer the project was important. We could gain a highway for properly venting the kitchen stoves and also supplying them with make-up air, which is necessary for gas stoves in a super-insulated house–where air quality needs to be carefully controlled. The chase would also provide a way to properly vent the existing plumbing. We decided to do it.
Remember in the old days of this blog, when Liane’s house had a chimney and a turbine?
The chimney had been used to exhaust the 6 pieces of combustion equipment in the basement, and the turbine vented the roof.
Through some pretty heroic and graceful efforts on the part of the Synergy crew, the chimney came down.
The roof area where the chimney had been was insulated with rigid foam, membraned, and re-shingled.
Remember the old hot water boiler, the forced hot air systems, and the DHW heaters?
Now the boiler is gone (with it's metal hopefully recycled) and the furnaces will be repurposed.
After the Phoenix arrived, the DHW tanks could go to their new home with the electrician as well. Now it's easier to walk around the basement without the overhead ductwork.
Here is the old chimney shaft--now turned into a new chase.
Looking up the shaft of the new chase.
Looking from the interior of an adjacent chase at the grille through which forced hot air used to come into Liane’s bedroom..
3rd floor access panel to new chase.
Looking down the new attic chase where the chimney had been.
Calvin reaching down into a new vent opening through the roof, located on the other side of the ridge so as not to interfere with the solar hot water panels which will be installed on the dormer roof.
Calvin installing the boot for the new vent through the super-insulated, "hot” roof.
