Flue has trouble drawing when it's windy.

[Alomran]

Re: Flue has trouble drawing when it's windy.

Most chimneys that I was familiar with growing up did not have caps or spark arrestors. Every spring you were supposed to send the most expendable male child up on the roof to place an asbestos shingle (another story) and a couple of bricks to keep it in place. For some reason my dad always sent me Every fall that same child (if he did not slide off of the tin roof in the spring) was supposed to venture back up there and remove the shingle.

If for some unexplained reason the child (who forgot to place the asbestos shingle on the chimney in the spring told dad ?yes sir? when asked ?did you uncap the chimney??,) was not exactly truthful: There might be a chance that chimney sweeps (the avian kind) could nest up in that chimney over the summer.

Damn, those things can create a down draft that no amount of preheating can overcome

Once, I did not fire up my 1732 AD built fireplace during a British summer, the crows nested up there!. My neighbour convinced me to be cruel to be kind as the chick may fall in the chimney shaft. Firing up the fireplace resulted in a horrendous shake as the fire lit up all the straws that were thrown down the chimney shaft. The fire up the chimney lit up the area and the noise that had resulted from the air suction caused by having two fires one at the top and another at the bottom made it sound like a burning chamber from hell!