# Pencil sized hole in piping going into chimney



## EmmyQT (Feb 18, 2014)

Hello,

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to ask this but not sure where else to turn.  I recently bought this house and just now noticed there's a pencil sized hole on the side of the piping from the boiler (oil) that goes into the chimney.  It has a black shiny look about an inch all around it so assuming it's leaking into the utility room.  The carbon monoxide detector has not gone off, but I'm assuming this is not good or supposed to be this way?  We have some chimney cement.  Can we just cover the hole with this?  We have a contract with the oil company, but I'm not sure if we should make a call for this, but will if the consensus is that it's important enough to.  Thanks very much for any advice on this.


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## maple1 (Feb 18, 2014)

Is it a clean hole (looking like say a drill hole), or does it look like a rust-through type of hole? How close to the boiler is it?

I suspect it is a hole that the technician would use to insert the probe of his flue gas tool when calibrating things - and likely harmless. You could likely try putting a piece of foil tape over it if you want.


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## macattack_ga (Feb 18, 2014)

My oil furnace chimney pipe has a similar hole. I believe it is used to measure the oil furnace exhaust temperature during servicing.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 18, 2014)

Me too.  I had put some foil tape on it, but unless you get the right kind it doesn't last.  Last time the heating guy came out for maintenance he plugged it with a removable plug.  The tendency is the the smoke to go up the chimney.


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## EmmyQT (Feb 18, 2014)

Thanks very much for the replies, puts me at ease.  It's definitely a drilled hole about four inches from boiler and makes sense what everybody said.  We will maybe try some foil tape and next time they come to clean maybe see if they have a plug for it.  Thanks again


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## mustash29 (Feb 18, 2014)

When you have the burner serviced they normally:
-clean the soot out of the heat exchanger areas
-clean the soot out of the top of the boiler aka smoke box
-should clean the pipe too - my house is 17.5 yrs old, cleaned the oil flue for the first time last fall, it had a good 1/4" layer of oily black dust in it, gross stuff.
-install a new fuel nozzle
-clean the strainer screen @ the fuel pump
-change the fuel filter at the tank
-run boiler, do a performance check, adjust the air shutter if required, check exhaust temp, check exhaust CO / CO2 levels, smoke check via a filter paper pump thingy.

Those final performance checks are done via that little hole.


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## mustash29 (Feb 19, 2014)

Also - check condition and allign the ignitor tips.


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## EmmyQT (Feb 19, 2014)

mustash29 said:


> When you have the burner serviced they normally:
> -clean the soot out of the heat exchanger areas
> -clean the soot out of the top of the boiler aka smoke box
> -should clean the pipe too - my house is 17.5 yrs old, cleaned the oil flue for the first time la
> ...


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