Insulation Around Masonry Chimney

The main reason we propose exterior insulation would be to create an envelope around the chimney to eliminate any thermal bridging.

Insulation around masonry chimney.

You cannot pack insulation in on or tightly around a masonry fireplace like that. If the stone or brick is entirely insulated outside it will become part of the interior conditioned space but if any of it is left exposed from the interior through to the exterior it will continue to conduct heat. You would think that insulating the inside of the wall around the chimney vent is the way to do it. 1 allowing the air space to be filled with non combustible insulation and or 2 allowing the masonry chimney to be in contact with combustibles if the chimney walls are at least 8 thick.

2 or they trim right up to the masonry with combustible trim. The insulation of a fireplace is critical for the safety and comfort of your home but there are specific ways to do so even if it means not making the prettiest bonfire around. Code change proposals s232 12 and s237 12 would make the builders legal by. Seal and insulate the outside wall where it abuts the chimney.

You should pack insulation snugly against the outside box frame of the thimble but never place insulation into the area within the thimbles s cylinder. You can purchase expanding foam in a spray can with an attached nozzle for reaching into tight areas. Air sealing a flat attic and upgrading the insulation with a blanket of blown cellulose is bread and butter work for weatherization contractor matt damon and his company penobscot home performance based in bucksport maine. Fiberglass insulation is naturally fire resistant.

You are allowed to have sheathing touch the chimney but not framing and you cannot pack the space with insulation. Among the many air leakage points damon and his crews commonly encounter in an older maine house is the open chase around the brick chimney. Properly built there is no need for insulation over the header. This makes it an ideal insulation material for use in areas that experience high temperatures.

As such it can be used to insulate a chimney. And hear me out. This product is ideal for a poorly insulated chimney to wall connection where cold air is getting into the. Expanding insulating foam is a product that can be sprayed into small cracks and crevasses which then expands and stops drafts and leaks.