Help!šŸ˜©Smoke Billows in Room! NEW Majestic Biltmore 42ā€

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It needs a bracket every 5 ft.
 
Normally it's a circle around the pipe with two rods that are fixed to a rafter.


Here is a pic of one brace. You'll need (at least two.
 
I thought there already was one at the 5 ft level but maybe that is why the guy is coming out? Lost track in this long thread. If it is taken up to 11' it will definitely need 2 braces. One at 5' and another at 10'.
 
Update!

We had the inspection done today to check for any damage after the chimney fire. The inspector used a camera both bottom-up and top-downā€”everything looked good. I also took new photos of the cap (attached), and he said the cap appears fine.

We tried what BeGreen suggested: popped the cap off and started a fire. Could close the windows with minimal to no "smoke show" coming inside. The issue is, thereā€™s no other cap option available, and modifying the current one could be an insurance problem.

So, on Thursday when the guy who installed it comes out:

1. Do you agree these photos of the cap I attached look fine - no need to replace it?

2. Should we have him start with a 2' section, and then add a 4' if the 2' doesn't help?

Thanks again, I sure hope we're getting close!
 

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The cap pictures look like after cleaning except for the last one. If the fireplace is venting fine with windows closed when the cap is off, that's a good sign.
 
The issue is, thereā€™s no other cap option available, and modifying the current one could be an insurance problem
Have you been so advised by your inspector?
Have you been so advised by your installer?
Have you been so advised by your homeowners' insurance rep?

Simply curious.
Not at all questioning the actual insurance written rule.

That cap design leaves some to be desired. Looks like tight vent spacing. Guessing it may plug easy as well.
Not to mention wet blowing/freezing snow? Icing?
Huh. Just another example of questionable design specifications at the manufacturer level.
 
That cap looks like it belongs on a gas burner, not a wood burner!
 
BeGreen, are you saying they look good except the last photo (if so, what's wrong with that photo)? Also, I don't need to replace this cap due to fire damage?

Thanks again.
The last photo looks like it was taken pre-cleaning that's all. I'd have liked to see the same inside view of the cap before cleaning to see how badly those vent slots were sooted up.

What makes you think there was a chimney fire?
 
What makes me suspect there was a fire:

The day I believe we had the fire, as soon as we lit the fireplace, smoke started billowing into the room, even though we had the windows open like we always do.

1. The first image attached shows what the chimney looked like before this incident, where everything below the cap was still shiny stainless steel.

2. The second photo was taken right after the suspected fire. Youā€™ll notice a white residue on the cap. From what Iā€™ve researched, this residue, often referred to as calcium carbonate or lime deposits, can result from extremely high heat exposure. This happens because intense heat can cause a chemical reaction with the metal surfaces, leaving behind this powdery residue. Itā€™s similar to what you might see on the exterior of a house that has been through a fire, where thereā€™s black charring mixed with these white deposits.

3. The last photo shows dark smoke stains extending about a foot or two below the cap, which wasnā€™t present before the incident.

I'm very frustrated about this restrictive cap... Does anyone happen to know of a cap that would work on this application? As mentioned, I love the idea of modifying it; but with insurance companies always searching for reasons not to pay - forbid we ever had a problem, an inspector finding a "modified" cap would certainly cause us grief.
 

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You can't help if the wind blew your cap off, and somehow it got some holes poked in it, but it looked basically ok, and it was raining, so you just put it back on...oops ;)