any chimney experts here?

[HomeBrewerDude]

so i had a guy come out to look at my chimneys (i have a dual fireplace chimney 2x3' and a vent chimney 2x2')

I know I need:

new counter flashing
new chimney caps

he says I also need:

point and tuck to flush mortor with brick
new pipe tile (the insert tile that forms the last 12" of the flu...) b/c one is cracked
the caps need to be created using a form, and poured to about 3"-4" inches thick

its sounds too expensive...

any input?

 

[DeMeo]

How old is the chimney?
None of these items are uncommon, but if it's not that old, he may be trying to hit you up for too many items. The lining problem is usually on much older chinmneys. The cap/morter problems are common if its' in the 15-20 year range (in New England anyway).

You may want to get a second opinion.

 

[radioouman]

That sounds exactly right.
If you don't do the basic maintenance to it, then you will have to have it rebuilt from the roof line up like I do.
My chimney is only 30 years old.

You might also want to ask about waterproofing.

 

[MaverickBP]

Paging Mr. Claus

 

[BlueWeasel]

Why is he saying he needs to tuck point to get the mortar flush with the brick? Typically, tuck pointing is done when the condition of the mortar has deteriorated (think 100 year old masonry structures) and the outer layer of mortar is all but gone.

How old is the chimney? If it's only 20-25 years old, then I doubt the mortar has deteriorated that much to warrant a tuck point. The offset between the mortar and brick was just how it was built (there are numerous types of mortar joints). Unless you're having water infiltration issues at the mortar joints, then a TP might not be necessary (unless it's a structural concern).

 

[Scarpozzi]

Call another guy up and get a second opinion. Doesn't hurt to get another estimate or two to see what they suggest you do and how much $$ you'll be out when they do it...

Tell guy number 1 that you need a little bit of time to come up with the money and ask him what he thinks it will cost... Then start shopping around.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

thanks people. much appreciated.

the chimneys are 50 years old


The company who the guy works for sends their estimates out ni the mail...I asked the guy to ballpark it for me and he was talking between 1 and 2k.

Anyways, I'll call around today.

 

[daniel49]

we had a guy come out and inspect a chimney once (over 30 years old)

He said it looked in good shape and we might want to consider a liner.
well short story we decided to rip it out and replace with up to date pipe for wood stove.
Results: we took it out and could see that the morter was in terrible shape and we would have probably burned the house down had we tried to use it. proceed with caution make sure you got someone who knows what thier talking about.