crossposted to Old Houses -- getting rid of this chimney?

10 years ago

Our 1906 house has a brick chimney going up through the middle of the house ... including through the middle of our upstairs bedroom. It really makes the room look/feel less spacious and blocks quite a bit of the light from the window.
It's unused in the sense that the kitchen wood stove it used to be connected to is not there anymore. But I can see that the gas furnace and the water heater vent into it, in the basement.

What am I looking at in terms of removal here? Do the furnace/water heater vents go through the chimney all the way up to the roof? How do I find out? Since the chimney's walled in and not bothering anyone in the kitchen, I would be happy (nay ecstatic) if it could just be removed down below the second floor.

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

renovator8
10 years ago
The vents for the gas furnace and water heater are each using a flue in the chimney to vent the byproducts of combustion to above the roof. It is often possible to vent these gases horizontally through the foundation with a fan but you need to ask a plumber to look at your condition. Chimneys rarely support the structure of a house so if you can terminate its use for venting you should be able to tear it down to the foundation but inspect it carefully as you remove it.
worthy
10 years ago
I would be happy (nay ecstatic) if it could just be removed down below the second floor.

Pray tell, what would hold up the chimney above the second floor?

Switching to a high-efficiency direct-vent water heater and furnace would make the job easier, and likely quickly payback their costs in energy savings.
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kristin_c
Original Author
10 years ago
Removed *to a point below the second floor*.