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A seven-flue chimney in a four storey Georgian house in London, showing alternative methods of
sweeping
A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace,
furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the
chimney itself.[1] In the United States, they are also known as vents for boilers and as breeching
for water heaters and modern furnaces. They usually operate by buoyancy, also known as the
stack effect, or the combustion products may be 'induced' via a blower. As combustion products
contain carbon monoxide and other dangerous compounds, proper 'draft', and admission of
replacement air is imperative. Building codes, and other standards, regulate their materials,
design, and installation.

Contents
[hide]

1 Heat retention

2 Other uses
o 2.1 Organs
o 2.2 Bath-houses

o 2.3 Boilers

3 Flue-types

4 See also

5 References

Heat retention[edit]
Flues are adjustable and are designed to release noxious gases to the atmosphere. They often have
the disadvantageous effect of releasing useful household heat to the atmosphere when not
properly setthe very opposite of why the fire was lit in the first place.
Fireplaces are one of the biggest energy wasters when the flue is not used properly. This occurs
when the flue is left open too wide after the fire is started. Known as convection, warm air from
the house is pulled up the chimney, while cold air from outside is pulled into the house wherever
it can enter, including around leaking windows and doors. Ideally, the flue should be open all the
way when the fire is first started, and then adjusted toward closure as the fire burns until it is
open just enough to slowly pull smoke from the fire up the chimney. After the flue heats up from
the fire, they are easier to move, but also hotter. Hands should be protected when operating the
flue lever; and if a new log is added to the fire, the flue must be adjusted again to ensure that
smoke does not billow out into the house.
In some countries, wood fire flues are often built into a heat preserving construction within which
the flue gases circulate over heat retaining bricks before release to the atmosphere. The heat
retaining bricks are covered in a decorative material such as brick, tiles or stone. This flue gas
circulation avoids the considerable heat loss to the chimney and outside air in conventional
systems. The heat from the flue gases is absorbed quickly by the bricks and then released slowly
to the house rather than the chimney. In a well insulated home, a single load fire burning for one
and a half hours twice a day is enough to keep an entire home warm for a 24-hour period. In this
way, less fuel is used, and noxious emissions are reduced. Sometimes, the flue incorporates a
second combustion chamber where combustibles in the flue gas are burnt a second time, reducing
soot, noxious emissions and increasing overall efficiency.

Other uses[edit]
Organs[edit]
The term flue is also used to define certain pipe organ pipes, or rather, their construction or style.

Bath-houses[edit]
Roman thermae constructed centuries ago had flues.

Boilers[edit]
Another use of the term is for the internal flues of a flued boiler.

Flue-types[edit]
Flue-types include:

Open flueAn open flued appliance draws combustion air from its surroundings; exhaust
gases rise in a vortex up the open flue. The 19th century Rumford fireplace is an
appliance that elegantly refined this principle.

Closed flueWhen an air duct brings combustion air directly to an appliance, there is no
air movement between the room containing the appliance. This makes Room Sealed
appliances intrinsically safe, since products of combustion (POCs) cannot normally
escape into the room. Two major types of closed flues are used with Room Sealed
appliances:
o Balanced flueUse the natural draught created by the hot exhaust, so the flue is
as short as possible, usually sufficiently long to pass through an external wall
against or near which the appliance is installed. The balanced flue terminal has
both flue outlet and air inlet in close proximity, so any draughts or wind gusts
pressure both equally and cancel out in the appliance. Thus the burner flame and
even pilot lights are not affected.[2]
o Power flueFanned flues use the pressure created by a fan to power the
movement of outside air into the appliance and combustion products to external
air. Thus air and flue ducts can be much longer, of smaller diameter, and include
changes of direction. Most ducting is concentric; the air duct contains the smaller
flue duct within it. Thus a leak from the inner flue duct will only leak the exhaust
into the appliance rather than into a room. However longer runs are possible with
two-pipe systems where the flue and air ducts run separately. Instead of using
closed flues, some power flues use open flues, taking combustion air from the
room housing the appliance. As with all open flues, the provision of adequate
ventilation to supply combustion air to such appliances is vitally important.[3]

False flueWhile two or three flues may be required for separate heat sources, several
"false" flues may be added at the top of a chimney for aesthetic purpose.[4]

Die fluea flue in a die used in injection molding[clarification needed]

See also[edit]

Flue gas stack

Combustion

Masonry heater

References[edit]
1.

Jump up ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Flue, n3.

2.

Jump up ^ http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38227#ixzz2wAmqbsAT

3.

Jump up ^ http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38227#ixzz2wAoHpuad

4.

Jump up ^ https://books.google.com/books?
id=0rirajvl9PYC&pg=PA236&dq=correct+three+flue+design&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ayomU9GmHqq
oyAG0voGABg&ved=0CFsQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=correct%20three%20flue
%20design&f=false

Look up flue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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Categories:

Fireplaces

Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning

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