Flue

Flue
A seven-flue chimney in a four storey Georgian house in London, showing alternative methods of sweeping

A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. In the United States, they are also known as vents and for boilers as breeching for water heaters and modern furnaces. They usually operate by buoyancy, also known as the stack effect, or the combustion products may be 'induced' via a blower. As combustion products contain carbon monoxide and other dangerous compounds, proper 'draft', and admission of replacement air is imperative. Building codes, and other standards, regulate their materials, design, and installation.

Contents

Heat retention

Flues are designed to release noxious gases to the atmosphere, but they often have the disadvantage of releasing useful heat to the atmosphere. In some countries, wood fire flues are often built into a heat preserving construction within which the flue gases circulate over heat retaining bricks before release to the atmosphere. The heat retaining bricks are covered in a decorative material such as brick, tiles or stone. This flue gas circulation avoids the considerable heat loss to the chimney and outside air in conventional systems. The heat from the flue gases is absorbed quickly by the bricks and then released slowly to the house rather than the chimney. In a well insulated home, a single load fire burning for one and a half hours twice a day is enough to keep an entire home warm for a 24 hour period. In this way, less fuel is used, and noxious emissions are reduced. Sometimes, the flue incorporates a second combustion chamber where combustibles in the flue gas are burnt a second time, reducing soot, noxious emissions and increasing overall efficiency.

Other uses

Organs

The term flue is also used to define certain pipe organ pipes, or rather, their construction or style. Roman Thermaes constructed centuries ago had flues.

Boilers

Another use of the term is for the internal flues of a flued boiler.

Flue-types

Flue-types include

  • Balanced flue
  • Power flue
  • Die flue

See also


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • flue — flue …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • flué — flué …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • Flue — (fl[=u]), n. [Cf. OF. flue a flowing, fr. fluer to flow, fr. L. fluere (cf. {Fluent}); a perh. a corruption of E. flute.] 1. An inclosed passage way for establishing and directing a current of air, gases, etc.; an air passage; esp.: (a) A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flüe — ist der Name von Ludwig von Flüe (1752−1817), kommandierender Offizier der Schweizergarde bei der Verteidigung der Bastille Niklaus von Flüe (oder Bruder Klaus; 1417−1487), Schweizer Einsiedler, Asket und Mystiker …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • flue — flue; flue·less; flue·man; …   English syllables

  • flue — flue1 [flo͞o] n. [< ? OFr fluie, a flowing, stream] 1. a tube, pipe, or shaft for the passage of smoke, hot air, exhaust fumes, etc., esp. in a chimney 2. [ME, mouthpiece of a hunting horn] a) a flue pipe in an organ b) the opening or passage… …   English World dictionary

  • Flue — (fl[=u]), n. [Cf. F. flou light, tender, G. flau weak, W. llwch dust. [root]84.] Light down, such as rises from cotton, fur, etc.; very fine lint or hair. Dickens. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Flüe — Flüe,   Nikolaus von der, schweizerischer Mystiker, Nikolaus, N. von der Flüe.   …   Universal-Lexikon

  • flue — sb., n, r, rne, i sms. flue , fx flueklat …   Dansk ordbog

  • flue|y — «FLOO ee», adjective. covered with flue; fluffy; downy. ╂[< flue2 + y1] …   Useful english dictionary

  • Flüe — Flüe, Nikolaus von der F., eigentlich Nik. v. Löwenbrugger (gewöhnlich Bruder Klaus genannt), geb. den 21. März 1417 in Flüeli im Canton Unterwalden, zeigte schon früh eine Neigung zur Einsamkeit u. zum beschaulichen Leben, diente seinem Canton… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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