Hole in chimney

[Pete]

First of all, thanks for the help in my recent "Condensation in the House" thread recently. Turns out the tenants were drying their clothes in that area but with no ventilation and little heating.

Anyway, new problem now. Just to reiterate, this is a mid-terraced house built in 1874. The house next door is now undergoing renovation and our tenant texted us last night to say that next-door's builder has found a hole in the chimney between the two properties and that it's joint responsibility to repair it.

I've not been to the house yet so I don't know where this hole is, ie, ground floor/bedroom level or roof. However, what I do know is that about 18 months or two years ago, our house failed it's 'Landlord's Gas Safety Check' because smoke was coming out of the sides of the chimney stack rather than the top of the chimney pots and the solution to that problem was to install new (aluminium?) flue liners for each of our two gas fires.

Admittedly, I'm well out of my depth here but to my simplistic mind the current problem can't be too bad... can it? I mean, if there's a hole, surely all it needs is to be bricked up and it can't be that big a deal can it? I'll give you more detail when I know more.

[Lobster]

It depends...

At the most simplistic level, you're right; however it could well be that said hole is half-way up the chimney and completely inaccessible. Presumably you have no idea where? Possibly someone's done a smoke test next door as you've had done, and got similar results. Usual answer for a gas fire would be to install a liner, as you've had done, but that's not (usually) a solution for an open fire - possibly that's what your neighbour wants?

The other thing to consider is that it's unlikely to be a simple, clean 'hole', and that observation's reinforced by the fact that you've seen smmoke emerging from the sides of the chimney stack (ie between the bricks). This sort of damage is very common in old houses, and is caused by muck in the smoke attacking the mortar inside the chimney stack. Therefore it's highly likely that there's a lot of damage in there; it's common for internal walls within chimny stacks to collapse completely. I don't know how you'd even begin to put that right properly without opening up the stack from the outside - can't imagine how much that would cost.

I'd certainly get a lot more information from your neighbour before you commit yourself to anything!

David

[Dave Liquorice]

Could be very complicated or very simple depending on what this "hole" is. The Party Wall Act may well get involved along with the deeds of both properties and who is legally responsible for what.

From your description of smoke coming out of the sides of the stack the stack is probably in very poor condition and may well need significant rebuilding, with the joints shot simple repointing is not enough to ensure the stabilty of the. You don't want several tonnes of masonary coming through your roof... Also with the joints shot it will be letting rain into the top of the wall, this probably does show in the rooms but may well in the loft and any timbers resting in it won't like it either.

[Pete]

Cheers David and Dave - hopefully it won't be too bad but after reading both your replies I'm prepared for the worst. I can't get hold of my builder mate or the people next door to my tenants so it looks like being Monday before I find out anything else, which nicely leaves me all weekend to worry about potential costs :-(

Still, I'm off out tonight to see "Who's Next" (an excellent tribute band to The Who) so I'll work off some of that worry bopping and listening to some head-banging tunes :-)

[Weatherlawyer]

A chimney stack is a tunnel built around a set of terracotta rings placed one on top of the other leggo style.

The brickwork tapers down as it rises depending on how many flues there are. The bottom breast is taking an huge load. Between the flues and the brickwork is just compo and debris infill.

I can't imagine how a defect would be a joint problem. In fact I can't imagine how the chimney got damaged in the first place.

Be sure to take pictures and post them.

[Lobster]

Wot I said... gunk in the smoke attacks the mortar. Such damage is extremely common.

David