What to do with my chimney?

if it is connected to a fireplace you should put in a gas fireplace, and run the vent up inside of the existing chimney. They make special units just for this purpose, or once did anyways.

have the chimney hecked out for its structure and make sure it isnt a safety concern. If the chimney is crappy, you can have it sleeved with a metal flue and packed with an asbestos cement so the outer flue isnt made more crumbly. Weve got 3 chimneys and we hadda have em all rebuilt or sleeved when we bought this old house.

have a certified chimney contractor (we have such specialists in Pa), they can repair clean out and relin your chimnyeys to actually pute em back into use and keep annimals like bats from living in your house. e have a house that was a small hotel and a post office addition. It was first built as a stone cabin in 1763. It was added onto in Federalist and other styles since then. Its had maybe 7 additions over time. It had fireplaces and Franklin toves in all rooms. eve had all except 3 xhimneys taken out and the remainders were fixed religned with asbestos cement and Stainless steel liners (We have one chimney that serves two fireplaces and our gs heating system. The other chimneys have a wood stove and one huge fireplace with a cooking crane.

The work doesnt come cheap but, aas one who had a chimney fire after the relining, the firemen coulnt even detect any thermal ignature into the house (All the chimneys are within the walls)

We use one of the fireplces for actual heat. e keep it pretty much burning from Novemeber through March,
We love the heat and the mild smell it imparts to the room.

Are you talking strictly your chimney or a fireplace - I guess I am confused as you are talker about putting inside a heater - we did this with our fireplace - instead of building a real fire, we purchase this electric logs - kind of like a space heater but with the looks of a fire. Just easier to use than building an actual fire and no concern of a risk of a real fire catching.

As far as if it is the actual chimney - most chimneys are there for a reason - even if you do not have a fire place this may be what is used for your actual home heating system - we have oil and the chimney is there so that the smoke and stuff from the furnace can vent outside. If you have a crumbly chimney or one that is beginning to fall apart it certainly can cause a fire. If that is the situation best to get a chimney sweep or similar in to check it out. We had to rebuild some of our chimney, put a cap on it to prevent critters from getting and clean out everything.

I want to see photos of your house, farmerman. It sounds amazing!