Chimney Staining Cabin Side

[Boatman Al]

I recently bought a brand new double skin chimney for my new boat. My last boat didnt have double skin and the tar like stains down the cabin sides were horrible. On this boat, the paint work is nice so i got the double skin chimney but after a handful of fires so far this month, the dreaded dribble down my cabin side is driving me mad, and its proving very difficult to clean off with soap and water. I really dont want a nasty stain down the side of my boat.

 

Does anyone have any tips for firstly removing the stains and secondly preventing it? I wondered about a a bead of black heat proof silicon round the join with the cast on the roof, only prob is when i need to clean my chimney ill need to peel off and replace.

 

Any tips or input would be great.

 

thanks

[Ray T]

I have seen a rope quoit around the base of the chimney to soak up the tar.

 

No idea how to get existing stains off though, sorry.

[john6767]

My suggestion, check how the inside skin fits with the inside of the collar. We were getting stains from it seeping out between the collar and chimney, and I filled a void between the 2 skins of the chimney with fire proof expanding foam, then cut it back enough to let the chimney fit the collar. That seems to stop stuff getting between the skins and condensing on the outside. I now just need to repaint the area of the roof around the collar where it is stained.

 

Edited to add: I did remove some of the tar with vehicle tar remover from Halfords.

Edited September 14, 2012 by john6767

[FadeToScarlet]

Autosol metal polish is good.

[Higgs]

The least you might be able to do is seal the inside skin with putty or silicone against the collar. Putty might be best, if you intend cruising and the chimney needs to be removed. The obvious difficulty is always having to remove and replace the chimney.

 

You really need to keep the tar inside the chimney and get it to run back down the inside and possibly the flue to be burnt off.

 

Don't let the stuff continue to stain the cabin and paintwork. You can clean it off only so often before it becomes damaging to the paint surface, and you need stronger and strong methods of cutting it back.

[richardf]

There is a product called 'Sticky Stuff Remover' - worked a treat for me

[ChimneyChain]

Well surely all you need is a length of pipe that fits right inside of your flue pipe, that way any thing that will run, will run straight down the flue and back into the fire and not run down on to roof.

 

Darren

[hardy scot]

I have had the same problem on leaking chimmneys, & raised the question approx 1 year ago & got some good replies from fellow boaters. Refer to forum & type in MUCKY OLD FLUES this may help

[Leo No2]

Well surely all you need is a length of pipe that fits right inside of your flue pipe, that way any thing that will run, will run straight down the flue and back into the fire and not run down on to roof.

 

Darren

 

That's what mine does - the inner is about an inch or so longer than the outer and the fit of the outer onto the 'cast' fitting is tight. No problem with tar running on the roof or down the side.

[Theo]

That's what mine does - the inner is about an inch or so longer than the outer and the fit of the outer onto the 'cast' fitting is tight. No problem with tar running on the roof or down the side.

 

Mine is a flextible piece of steel sheet bent into a cylinder with the join overlapping so that you can squeeze it into a smaller cylinder. It goes inside the nice brass bound chimney and inside the roof casting, springing out to make a friction fit. All dribble dribble inside the flue, there to be evaporated.

 

Can be bought from Middle and Candlers

 

 

Nick

 

 

[bottle]

As mentioned insulate between the skins, expanding foam heat resistant or fibreglass rope.

 

Make sure the inner skin is as tight a fit as possible inside the flue.

[robdalej]

WAS TOLD ONCE BY SOMEONE TO USE TOOTHPASTE, SEEMED TO WORK FOR THEM.ALSO COULD TRY A CREAM CLEANER, AS LONG AS IT DOESNT CONTAIN BLEACH.

[Rich]

The problem we have is tar dripping off the coolie hat, particularly when raining, and staining the cabin sides. Some way of stopping that would be handy.

 

Rich

[IanM]

The problem we have is tar dripping off the coolie hat, particularly when raining, and staining the cabin sides. Some way of stopping that would be handy.

 

Rich

 

We take the cowl on ours off when the fire's lit to stop that from happening.

[Keeping Up]

We take the cowl on ours off when the fire's lit to stop that from happening.

 

So do we

[luctor et emergo]

Burn proper smokeless coal, or seasond hardwood...

 

And burn your fire hot enough. 'Keeping it in' by turning it down to a smoulder, doesn't help either.

[nigel fryer]

WAS TOLD ONCE BY SOMEONE TO USE TOOTHPASTE, SEEMED TO WORK FOR THEM.ALSO COULD TRY A CREAM CLEANER, AS LONG AS IT DOESNT CONTAIN BLEACH.

I bet he was a Dentist l

[Grace and Favour]

OP - - if you get a properly made BESPOKE twin-wall chimney, where the inner surface fits neatly within the inside of your flue, (and the outer surface sits snugly on the outer edge of your casting) - then you will no longer have tarry deposits on your paintwork

 

[nicknorman]

I recently bought a brand new double skin chimney for my new boat. My last boat didnt have double skin and the tar like stains down the cabin sides were horrible. On this boat, the paint work is nice so i got the double skin chimney but after a handful of fires so far this month, the dreaded dribble down my cabin side is driving me mad, and its proving very difficult to clean off with soap and water. I really dont want a nasty stain down the side of my boat.

 

Does anyone have any tips for firstly removing the stains and secondly preventing it? I wondered about a a bead of black heat proof silicon round the join with the cast on the roof, only prob is when i need to clean my chimney ill need to peel off and replace.

 

Any tips or input would be great.

 

thanks

We had the same issues - nasty dribbly stuff staining the paint - bought double-skinned chimney from Midland Chandlers, but still pretty much the same problem. Then got the solution from a post on this forum, which is to roll up some aluminium kitchen foil and push it into the space between the 2 skins. This stops the warm flue gases contacting the cold space between the skins and condensing, which is the source of the problem. Whilst other suggestions on this thread work I'm sure (bespoke chimney, extension pipe, foam etc), the foil worked for us with the advantage of using cheap material already in the under-sink cupboard.