smoke testing a chimney

Gary Usa_2

hiya guys please would you be so kind to help me with the following,in the uk we use to smoke test a chimney to test to see if it was clear,test the soundness of the bricks etc.

I am under the impression that you are not allowed to use a smoke pellet in a chimney here in the usa,please would you be so kind to tell me what the reasons are,if you arn't allowed to use a smoke pellet how do you tell if the chimney is clear,i realise you can use a draft tester but even if you do that and show a good draft doesn't always prove that the flue will indeed remove the burnt products from the boiler,as weather does alter the effects of the chimney the length of the chimney etc etc,i always useto use a smoke match under the draft hood to test for spillage within a 15 minute time scale to allow the flue to heat up first .close all the doors and then test by means of a smoke match. to test that the fresh air is all ok and put all fans etc on to test to see if it affects or pulls on the flue

as always many thanks for your help .

all the best

gary usa

Alan R. Mercurio

Hi Gary, I think this will pretty much answer your question.

According to NFPA 211- 2000 Table 4-1 Masonry Chimneys (Smoke Test)

4-1.7 Smoke Test Masonry chimneys shall be proved tight by a smoke test after erection and before being put into use.

The following information can be found in the 2000 Edition of NFPA 211 page 211-17

Your friend in the industry,
Alan R Mercurio
www.oiltechtalk.com