Question:

We have a home 17 yrs old. The chimney runs from below ground in the basement, through the main level, up and through the top level and out through the roof. In this chimney against the warm side of the house was fiberglass insulation. Some animals must have got in and knocked a bunch of it down and now we have had the water lines freeze in the basement apartment,(right on the inside of the chimney- house side). Since we do not use the fireplace, what should we do to repair the now missing insulation to stop all the drafts that cause the water pipes to freeze? Can we just have it filled with blown in insulation up past the main level of the house?
We have asked many experts and other than tearing down the 40 t0 50 foot chimney and relining the warm side with "pink", we cannot get any answers.

Answer:

I would never dare close off a chimney completely. Rather, I'd cap it as you suggest but that cap would have a hood with a bit of a screened air gap to permit air to flow. Otherwise, condensation can form and that could have frozen and pulled down the insulation you're blaming the animals for. As far as water lines freezing, If they're separated from the foundation walls by at least two or three inches of insulation, it should not be a problem.


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Answered By: Ren Molnar

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