Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is very effective in locating chimney flues in buildings. This can be done with no intrusive works or damage to the building structure. It can be done in occupied buildings with minimum disruption to the occupants. The only requirement is that good access to the walls to be surveyed is available.
Why locate chimney flues?
It is often necessary to accurately locate the position of chimney flues prior to opening up walls, either for access or, as is becoming increasingly common, to connect adjoining flats in residential accommodation blocks. In order to assess the possibility, GPR is ideal as no damage to the building or decorative finishes is caused.
When modernising or refurbishing older buildings, any chimney flues which may be present may no longer be needed for fireplaces. They may, however, offer ideal conduits for ventilation, air conditioning and heating ducts (see lower photograph on right). If the building is listed or has wooden panelling or other expensive finishes, restrictions may apply regarding intrusive investigation methods. A Ground Penetrating Radar chimney flue location survey is capable of providing the necessary information with the minimum of disruption and inconvenience.
Flue location surveys
Sandberg offers chimney flue location surveys using GPR by experienced GPR surveyors. Chimney flue locations can either be marked in-situ or on CAD drawings.
Definitions
A chimney is a structure for venting hot gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. The void along which the gases are vented is known as a flue. Chimneys have traditionally been built of brick; due to brick’s limited ability to handle transverse loads, chimneys were often built in a ‘stack’, with flues from individual fireplaces on different floors sharing the same stack. The number of flues within a chimney stack can often easily be determined by the number of chimney pots.
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