# Todays Chimney Repair



## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Here is a typical failing chimney. Cap failed I think something was sprayed to the front, it made a thud and not a ding with my brick hammer. Like it had some rubber type of something on it. The front of the chimney all the joints were powder but the back side the joints were fine. for the top 4 or 5 feet I would say.










So much wrong with this chimney, caulking in the joints? Really?










Is this mud or some stucco goop? 









The other side of the fireplace also had this crack all the way down. When there is a kneewall and I see this crack it also could be a poorly supported hearth and additional issues with no wall ties causes flexing and the pressure cracks the chimney brick. It is always an improperlly built throat. Always. and it is also no buffer wall built behind the firebox, just filled with crap and packed with mud. Then it cracks. All chimney builders should repair chimneys for the first few years.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Im a lot like a dentist on days like this. I kept my fingers this time too.










No paper for the plywood either, on a hip roof.....shakes head



















See how the throat is started off the filler blocks? Thats retarded to do it like that. Add the 4" block to the side wall of the chimney, you need 8" there anyhow, then start your angle off that block. It will be supported to the foundation like that too.

Do not use the brick of the chimney for the wall on the throat either, its gonna crack, the angles of the throat wont be supported as well as the heat from the fireplace.


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

jbm, you demoed 1 wythe of brick and that's what was exposed? The chimney wall itself was the back of the smoke chamber? 

Gee, I imagine they parge the bricks in that area, but still, you have one piece of mortar fall off, a joint open up and what? You got smoke and sparks exiting the back of your chimney?


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

Interesting construction techniques.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

dbrons said:


> jbm, you demoed 1 wythe of brick and that's what was exposed? The chimney wall itself was the back of the smoke chamber?
> 
> Gee, I imagine they parge the bricks in that area, but still, you have one piece of mortar fall off, a joint open up and what? You got smoke and sparks exiting the back of your chimney?


Yeah the brick wall is the throat wall! I see it all the time, people just dont care or know any better.


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## Rockmonster (Nov 15, 2007)

With all due respect, we can't see the 'throat' in these pics......what we're looking at is the smoke chamber..........


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

tomato Tomato, Whatever, I call that area the throat, people want to know what specific part of the throat it is, its the smoke chamber.


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## Nick520 (May 2, 2013)

My chimney today we worked on was supposed to be a new concrete cap and design this was three flues down


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Thats a doozie


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Wow JBM. That thing is typical??? No wonder you have so much work doing fireplace and chimney repair. I don't even know what to say. It makes me nervous just looking at that


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Yeah Dom, for the most part 75% of the chimneys here are built like this. I really just dont think people know they are building them wrong. 

Teaching people will result in drifting from the source. With every generation of newbs if they dont seek out the source on their own or get taught from someone who actively seeks it out the bloodline is muddied and this is where we find our trade. It is important to always be the student.


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## jar546 (Aug 13, 2013)

What are you going to use for a chimney cap?


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

jar546 said:


> What are you going to use for a chimney cap?


What do you mean? 

The top was build out 1 up 1. Ill follow that as there is a couple other chimneys that I should kinda match 

I have run up 2 4" partition walls inside to help with filling the cap. The other guys had wood inside it.


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## dbrons (Apr 12, 2010)

> The other guys had wood inside it.


stop, stop!


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

All the time. I pop open maybe 30 chimney tops a year right now. About 10 of those will have wood in them. A couple will be mortar a couple will have the flue lower then the portland, a couple will have a moisture trapping problem, a few will just be old.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

and were done



















tues-friday and done @ 4.


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## yourfriend (Aug 16, 2013)

Now that ^^ is a nice crown.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks a bunch, only takes 20 minutes to do it like that as opposed to 18 minutes to do it horribly lol.


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## jar546 (Aug 13, 2013)

Nice job, you answered my question in your after pics.


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## S.U.M (Apr 17, 2013)

Look good but why no over hang with drip edge.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

S.U.M said:


> Look good but why no over hang with drip edge.


The majority of my tops look like this. The type of crown you mention first doesnt look good on my caps and secondly doesnt achieve anything really. 












If someone wants an overhang I simply put a bluestone cap on top of some columns. It is easier, I can break down my staging and wash the roof in a more timely manner then waiting for a pour to harden so I can strip a form. Imagine being up 36' on a 12 pitch with 3 roof set ups waiting to strip a form?  I suppose if someone wanted to pay the cost for it I would do it, but no one would think that is a good use of money. 

So anyhow, on the couple stone chimneys ive done the last 5 years I have the flues water jet cut out of a 3" slab of stone and I bring in a crane to set the stone. That is still more cost effective then fiddling around with wood, leaving my stuff set up, ect. 300 for the stone or so, 300 for the crane and im done when im done. Roof is washed, staging is on the truck and im on the next job.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

JBM said:


> The majority of my tops look like this. The type of crown you mention first doesnt look good on my caps and secondly doesnt achieve anything really.


I disagree. The drip keeps a huge amount of water from collecting. Personally I also won't corbel back in, only out on a chimney. You can cove a joint all you want but it will crack and allow water to get in. Maybe it's different in your climate but in my area crown act very poorly compared to sheet metal or actual caps. 

Tearing down, cleaning up, loading the truck and unloading are pretty much a days work. i rarely do them the same day I'm building so including form stripping doesn't add much to the job


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