Greatest to look into popping noise in chimney immediately
Q: I read an article of yours about water hammer and it led to this note. While I don’t have a problem with a noisy water pipe, I do have a problem with a noisy chimney.
A few years ago I replaced my old brick fireplace with a fire box insert and a metal fireplace. We burn wood but use gas jets to start the fire. Everything was fine until a few years ago the fireplace started making popping noises after it was warmed up. It has gotten worse over time.
I suspect the metal smoke tube is expanding and contracting, but I honestly have no idea what’s happening or how to fix it. Do you have any suggestions?
ON: Metal expansion is a good guess, but given the age of the facility and the fact that the noise was recent, we believe it is more likely that either the openings in the gas insert are clogged or the chimney is badly polluted.
We recommend that you deal with it right away because if you leave it alone it can become a dangerous situation.
If the gas supply is defective, it is not a do-it-yourself project. We recommend calling PG&E and asking them to send a technician to check the gas supply.
The technician can tell you if the crack is from the gas and how to fix it. It can be a simple thing for you to do yourself, or he or she can clean it up for you. But it is also possible that this gas supply is shot off. If so, you may need a plumber to install a new one.
This advice also applies to anyone who has a non-wood-burning gas fireplace.
Another likely possibility is that the chimney is dirty. When was the last time you had it cleaned? Creosote deposits can burst when heated in a dirty chimney. The popping itself isn’t that bad, but it could be a precursor to a life-threatening chimney fire.
On the other hand, if the popping you hear is just the sound of metal moving, this is normal. Metal expands when heated and contracts when cooled. The expansion and contraction increases and decreases depending on the temperature of the ambient air around the metal.
We recommend that you have the chimney inspected and swept by a certified chimney sweep to ensure that the chimney is in good condition and clean. With a bit of luck, good cleaning will solve the problem.
