Francesco Zinghinì
Author and curator of ChimneyCalcs.
Author and curator · ChimneyCalcs
Francesco Zinghinì is the author and curator of ChimneyCalcs. This is a truthful role: I am not a licensed chimney sweep, a mason or any trade professional, and I do not claim any such credential.
My relevant, verifiable competence is building deterministic online calculators (open-source Python projects) and electronic-engineering training (Systems Theory, Sapienza University of Rome) — which gives genuine rigor on the chimney sizing and cost arithmetic. Chimney and flue sizing is plane geometry (a flue’s cross-section is 1/10 to 1/12 of the fireplace opening; A = π·(d/2)²; d = 2·√(A/π); the 3-2-10 height rule is a max() of two clearances) and cost is a quantity × unit-price sum (cost = materials/linear-foot + labor + access) — verified numerically on known examples. Every formula on this site shows its basis, every convention is cited under Sources, and every calculator is numerically self-checked against known values (see Methodology).
Everything here follows one rule: the tools must stay correct with no ongoing maintenance. That is why every cost tool works only on the dimensions you measure and the prices you enter from your own quotes and bills — the site keeps no material or labor rate, no regional price database and no live rates that would silently go stale. The only baked-in numbers are stable geometric identities (the 1/12 and 1/10 flue ratios, π, the 3-2-10 offsets) and clearly labeled published typicals (standard clay-tile sizes, liner-by-appliance, creosote stages, inspection levels, clearances, cost bands) you can adjust to your own chimney.
A chimney is a real spend and a real fire-safety device, so every cost tool is framed as a planning estimate, not a bid; every sizing / draft tool reminds you to confirm your exact flue and opening dimensions and round up; and the creosote / inspection / clearance references note their values are labeled typicals, not a certified spec — and that creosote, chimney fire, carbon monoxide, structural and code judgement are a CSIA-certified sweep, licensed mason, NFPA 211 and local-code matter. The aim is a neutral, free, no-signup reference you can use to sanity-check a quote — nothing that pretends to replace a professional sweep, mason or local code.
Elsewhere
Reach me through the contact page.