Had our HVAC system worked on today and it took several hours. As a result of the heat having to be off, we had to run our fireplace to supliment for heat. We have a regular fireplace (with chimney) but it runs gas with fake logs. After about 4 or 5 hours my wife heard a bang noise that came from the fireplace…Didn’t think much of it until later in the evening so i decided to turn the fireplace back on and look out at the chimney to see if i could see the warm air releasing out of the top of the chimney similar to what you would see from a furnace vent when the furnace is running. Make a long story short, i ran the fireplace for a while and didn’t see the air releasing from the top of the chimney. I have to say all the other times i have run the fireplace, I have never looked outside at the chimney to see if i could see the air releasing so i don’t know if this is normal or not.
Is this something i should be concerned over or is this normal?
Should I have this looked at?
Any information anyone can shed would be greatly appreciated.
rmlong1979
How much is your life worth to you?
I’m thinking potential carbon monoxide poisoning, if not a chimney fire. Both are probable. Get it checked out by a professional.
Anyone have any insight to this besides contact a pro?
Was the bang your chimney damper falling shut?
seeing heat rising will depend on the exhaust temperature, outside temperature and the wind. sometimes it can get hard to see.
as suggested it could be the chimney damper shutting which is a life threatening situation if the fireplace is on.
if you have a fireplace or any fuel burning heating in your house a carbon monoxide detector can be a lifesaver.
You need to have the chimney inspected. Probably nothing wrong but you’re playing “You Bet Your Life” without even realizing it.
Jim - 27 years of putting out chimney fires
Most gas fireplaces I’ve encountered are in a self-contained metal box with a double-walled metal flue pipe that’s installed inside an otherwise empty plywood structure that resembles a chimney.
Do you often run the gas fireplace for 4-5 hours at a time? It might be nothing more than the sheetmetal casing warping with the heat - if you don’t usually run it for so long, you might not get it hot enough to “pop” until today. This would be normal and harmless. (The one we had at a previous address would make a thunk after two hours.)
Not normal or harmless would be the damper falling shut, or a section of flue pipe dislodging or disconnecting inside the chimney.
But, for under $100 in most areas, you can have a sweep inspect the fireplace and chimney. Cheap peace of mind.