Wood-Framed Chimney Troubles

When you hear or read the word chimney what do you visualize?

The picture that pops up in many of our brains is a brick structure standing tall above the roof line.

That image is justified because brick chimneys certainly are the norm with our mixed age housing stock here in the Akron, Canton, Kent area. But, that is changing.

In much new construction, wood framed chimney chases seem to be taking over as the standard. In fact, we believe the majority of homes built in the last thirty years don’t have traditional tile liners with brick around it.

We suspect the wood framed chimney is utilized so often because of lower construction costs and changes in fireplace/heating technology.

Today’s post looks at wood framed chimney that is being taken advantage of because of its overall bad condition. We challenge those of you with wood framed chimneys to make sure that they are as well maintained as parts of your home that are easier to get to. Animals will be happy to find the hollow spots inside if given the opportunity.

What is a Wood Framed Chimney?

chimney example This picture to the right shows a vent pipe with NO CHIMNEY SURROUND. As you see, it is simply a pipe projecting from the roof.

Do you like this look?

If you don’t like this aesthetic you would be in the camp of designers and homeowners who change this look by covering it up. It is done by building a structure around the pipe to cover it up. In the good old days, brick and clay would make the chase that vents whatever gases are being created below. Today, double and triple walled stainless steel pipes do a lot of the venting and can be covered (without hazard) by wood.

This is be done by framing around the pipe and then finishing it’s look with siding or simulated brick. In other cases, pre-manufactured boxes are added.

No matter what its look, a chimney surround is simply a decorative covering which is affixed to the side or roof of a home in order to hide a chimney pipe.

Here are some examples of non-masonry chimneys.

As the last picture of the deconstructed chimney shows, framed chimneys are just boxes around a pipe with the appropriate code-defined clearances.

And you know who loves these dark, protective boxes if they can get in?

That’s right, nuisance animals of all kind including raccoons.

Raccoons in a Framed Chimney

At a recent job, Ryan found two framed chimneys that had come under attack from critters. Take a look and you can see that both offer good den spots for animals.

Additionally, you’ll be able to see that time and lack of maintenance are the issues that have really given the animals the opportunity to move in. It is a pattern that we see often.

The chimney with the metal on top has been chewed on but not completely destroyed like the one with the super old shingles. But, since animals have found the weakness, they are going to come back unless they are removed and the damaged is fixed. The problem lower on the house at the soffit probably exists because raccoons started using the damaged chimney. It’s a case where some animal damage is leading to more.

More Framed Chimney Videos

Not convinced? Here are a couple of older videos which show the same theme: raccoons getting into time and weather-beaten chimney surrounds.

The recurring theme on our website of wildlife taking advantage of issues with our homes’ construction is on full display here.

Wood framed chimneys, if able to be accessed, provide great den-like areas that raccoons really love.

Take a look: