Advice on using chimney for airflow

Hi all.
My closet is right next to an old chimney breast in a bedroom. The opening to the fire\chimney was plastered over around 30 years ago but I don't know if the chimney was ever blocked off at the top or how I'd be able to tell that?

If I drilled a hole through into the chimney, from inside the closet, would it suck air out of the closet or push air in? I guess it would depend on whether it's capped or not?

Cheers

To test it go through the front and take away some of the plaster to reveal if its bricked up or just boarded, you can probably tell from knocking on it and go off the sound.

You want a decent opening and then smoke test with a smoke bomb, have a bucket of water ready and have the bomb on a shovel so you can chuck it straight in the water if the chimneys capped off or your going to have a room full of thick smoke pretty quick.

Once you know its not capped then time to look at the thickness of the wall going to your closet, because it could be (in multi story house) another chimney goes up from below along side it.

If you find it is fine then your going to have a couple of layers of brick to drill through if you want to go through the side.
A diamond tipped core drill would be the best option. Possibly a long drill bit to pilot through in case you need to go in from both sides.

From the front its more simple, but the way a brick stack is made would have the side wall pretty thick.
I am used to Victorian houses so might be yours (not knowing where you come from) are very different.

Be 100% sure that no boiler is ducted into your old chimney

@coreywebster thanks for your reply. It's only plaster board covering the old opening for the fire by the sound of it with a knock. I see what you mean with the side of the chimney, it looks quite thick, but I have a foot long diamond drill bit that may do the job. Thanks for the advice buddy, I will try the smoke trick x

If it's capped, will I be able to take an intake from it?

Cheers again.

STDR said:

If it's capped, will I be able to take an intake from it?

Cheers again.

Click to expand...

Not if its properly capped but it wouldn't be much to take it off. Depends how its been done, some would take off the pot and whack over a slate or a slab and cement it in. Least that's what we do over here.
What ever has been done can be undone, just don't take any risks if your not confident on roofs.

I love a good chimney. My last spot was extracted into one and intake tapped into basement fireplace.

good luck man.

Most likely the flue is just shut, I use to vent out of my second grow that way. I put and exhaust fan worked really well. The smell blew a couple streets over I’d smell it walking my dog down wind 800m to 0.5miles which was an added bonus

STDR said:

if the chimney was ever blocked off at the top or how I'd be able to tell that?

Click to expand...

Get on the roof and look.

Cleaning my chimney today.........its not used for a grow but man it's a dirty job! I've thought about an exhaust before........wouldnt you put a lot of strain on the fan? Id think its better to pull the air up and out compared to pushing it up...plus the grow room can be warmer than where you'd be putting the air....wouldn't it want to pull "draft" towards the grow? I dont know.....never did it but others have so I guess it works but is it efficient?

I had two chimneys to play with, 1 was for extraction and the other, well you can guess. It would act up on windy days and give my fans a good hum.