Furnace issues! I need some help here.

[vclark321]

I am in Western Washington & I have a forced air furnace (ancient) that has a coil coming from the fireplace (because the fireplace is tied into the furnace ducts) and it is sending soot through the house when I use either. I had a chimney company come look at it & they won't service it or even touch it. They want to rip out the wall & start from scratch. Just so you get a visual here, my kitchen & living room are separated by (in order) furnace, fireplace, water heater, all walled in with doors at either end for furnace or water tank.

The chimney guy just gave me a brochure for a free standing gas stove! Who wants a gas stove in the same room as a non functioning fireplace?!?! Who even begins to fix stuff like this? No one I have called will even look at it! I have 1 quote for $6,000! - would love to maybe have a pellet stove in there, but was told the opening was not big enough. I am beginning to think a Rocket Mass stove is looking really good right now.

Has anyone heard of a fireplace tied into the ductwork of a furnace & if so can troubleshoot with me on why its puking soot out the vents in the upstairs rooms? Thanks for reading my rant/plea for help. I know people at this site are very intelligent & full of great advice!

 

[coloradochick]

Wish I could help you. Maybe put "Furnace" in your title. That may perk someones knowhow

Goodluck

 

[Orchid]

My husband and I own a plumbing and heating company and I can honestly say we've NEVER seen a fireplace connected to the furnace ductwork. I would assume the fireplace vents out the regular fireplace chimney and there's a hot water coil than runs from the fireplace to the furnace plenum? If you're getting soot through your ductwork then either your ancient furnace is having a problem (either it needs repair or the heat exchanger has a hole in it) or the firebox on your fireplace has somehow burnt through and the fireplace is now venting through the ductwork in some way.

I don't think you need a chimney guy, I think you need a furnace repairperson to determine whether the soot is coming from the furnace or the fireplace and go from there.

Hopefully someone else will chime in here who is more familiar with that type of system than I am!

 

[spottedtail]

Right what Orchid said about a furnace guy instead of a chimney guy.
(There's such a thing as a chimney guy?)

Sometimes a furnace will have a label with the installing companys name/address/phone.
They should get your first call.

spot

 

[vclark321]

Thank you all for the tips! The thought about contacting a furnace person did occur to me about 1AM and I will call the number on the furnave to have it serviced and looked at. I have heard of a coil from a fireplace to the water heater in case of power outages, but I just replaced the water heater last year and there is no coil going there. This house is truly a puzzle to me! Thank you all! I appreciate the info!

 

[SillyChicken]

what kind of furnace, oil, ele, gas?

We had an old oil furnace that had a manifold (what ever it's called) that had pin holes in it from age. It was leaking all sorts of nasty black stuff into the house (including carbon monoxide) we couldn't afford to get a new furnace at that time and the guy couldn't fix it for us. He suggested (on the side) JB Weld on the holes to seal out the fumes etc.. it held up for the rest of the winter till we replaced the furnace.

 

[Orchid]

Quote:
That's the heat exchanger.

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
That's the heat exchanger.

Yeah thats it!! lol!

 

[vclark321]

I have an electric furnace & I just set up an appointment for it to be serviced & cleaned by the company that installed it back at the turn of the century! LOL! I am sure it needs to be replaced with something more effecient, but after I get out of nursing school when I make more money! Electric heat is so expensive & even though I have sealed the windows & put up window quilts it still gets chiily in the house Menopause does help though! LOL! Everyone here has beeb super helpful! Thank you!