Besides the visual appeal of a chimney, what good is it if you’re not using it? Not much, according to “Michaelbluejay” (we will call him Michaelb), who posted about his situation in this Q&A thread. He writes that he knows his chimney should go because
it loses conditioned air and it’s a huge thermal bridge. As he understands it, he has three options:

1. Remove the exposed portion above the roof, cap/seal it, install new roofing at the hole—most effective but most expensive.

2. Cap the top of the flue—easy and cheap, and stops air but still have a thermal bridge.

3. Install a vented cap—a web-sourced solution that begs for some clarity.

Michaelb notes, too, that he is thinking of building out the fireplace into a small cabinet/closet.

So, what’s the best course of action for dealing with an unused chimney? That’s the topic of today’s Spotlight.

Take it all the way down

The responses are fairly uniform in their agreement that Michaelb should take the entire chimney down to the basement. Yes, it’s a dirty job, but it’s straightforward and the reward for the effort is extra space and much-improved thermal performance.

“DCcontrarian” offers this seasoned piece of advice for performing the work:

“Resist the temptation to toss the bricks to the ground; it’s dangerous and makes a mess of the yard that’s hard to clean up. For the section above the roof, I like to drop the bricks down the chimney so I can deal with them when I get off the roof. Once through the roof, all the work is either standing on the ground or, at worst, on a stepladder. I prefer to take the bricks out and carry them out of the house…