Parging a smoke chamber

I assume the gas fireplace is direct venting into the existing smoke chamber and chimney? The only reason to parge is if the mortar is missing and/or the brickwork is in poor shape. If the chimney and smoke chamber are in bad shape it could result in exhaust gases entering the adjacent building or your own.

It’s a good idea with a gas fireplace to have a Co2 detector nearby.

If you want to have a professional inspect it I would highly recommend A&A chimney they advertise on this site and have done quite a few fireplaces for me including the one in my own house.

restorationcontractor

in General Discussion 4 years and 2 months ago

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shesabrickhouse

in General Discussion 4 years and 2 months ago

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Hi all – Does anyone have any views on whether it is important to parge a smoke chamber for a vented gas fireplace? We have two such fireplaces that seem to work fine, but the smoke chambers are not parged. Thanks so much.

RobertGMarvin

in General Discussion 4 years and 2 months ago

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I thought that smoky chambers were only needed on wood-burning fire places

hkapstein | 4 years and 2 months ago

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You mean like plastering it? If it is not clear whether the smoke chamber is adequately fireproof, you should contact a chimney company for an inspection. That way their insurance would attach if there was a problem, and there won’t be if they know what they’re doing. However, a masonry surface of a certain thickness is usually adequate and I ddon’t believe parging would be necessary in general, but as I said, you’d really need someone to look at the particulars and sign off.

NeoGrec | 4 years and 2 months ago

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My understanding is that most gas fire installations involve two 3″ diameter aluminum liners that run inside a pre-existing flue. If that’s correct, parging the smoke chamber shouldn’t be necessary because the exhaust fumes will be contained by the liner. But if these fires have been there for years, and vent directly w/o liners, then the smoke chamber (and the entire chimney) needs to be well sealed. You could consult with one of the several good fireplace masons who advertise on this site. Also, the website victorianfireplaceshop.com has some very useful information.