Difficulty breaking lower flue tile

[EmberEnergy]

Hello everybody,

I'm having a hard time getting all of my lower section of terracotta tile out and would appreciate some advice. I've been at it about a total of a few hours of spinning across several sessions on the roof. I have prokleen/button-lok steel rods and a double square tile breaker. I had this vision that this spinning setup and flue tile would be similar to terracotta pots (when you look at them the wrong way). I am very mistaken. Picture attached.

I read through this post. I don't think mine is that tightly mortared in place but there is definitely mortar in there. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/old-tile-flue-appears-to-be-mortared-in-now-what.181896/

Almost one entire side of the column is gone. Seems like there is supporting brick flush with the interior dimension so I'll need to bust at least one lower side of brick too. I kept descending with the weaker wall because I didn't want to damage the brick trying to get the other 3 sides. I may be able to get away with one long side out and drag my liner through (olympia hybrid flex 304 pre-insulated, about 7.5" OD, and I did elect to get a nose pulling cone, thank god). I believe the lower section is 8x12 OD? It's 12x12 up top - have no idea why they made it smaller for the last section. I've even tried sledging with a 10-foot galvalized pipe on top edges of the column - doesn't budge. The tile breaker does more than the pipe so far.

This is my least favorite part of this project.

Thanks,
G

 

[bholler]

I either use an air chisel on rods we have. Or tape a grinder to rods and cut the sides

 

[Dave_in_ABQ]

That does not look like fun

 

[EmberEnergy]

That does not look like fun

Initially, I thought it would be sort of fun. I mean, silver lining of needing to blast out tiles in the first place is I would get to watch terracotta crumble to my will with specialty tools. Instead, it mocks me, and my house is cold :D

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Tie a rope to 1 end of a weight (like a dumbell or plate weight) and then tie another to the bottom. You'll have a rope going out each direction.

Use the top rope to set the height of the weight, at the stubborn flue tiles. Yank on the bottom rope through the bottom of the chimney to swing it into the tiles.

 

[Corey]

Seems like if you had a 'single square' tile breaker you would have half the hits, but possibly double the impact energy? A rectangle tile breaker might again half the number of hits.... only one on the long side, but give still heavier impacts?

 

[EmberEnergy]

Seems like if you had a 'single square' tile breaker you would have half the hits, but possibly double the impact energy? A rectangle tile breaker might again half the number of hits.... only one on the long side, but give still heavier impacts?

This is a very interesting thought exercise and one that I ran through in my head before pulling the trigger on my spinner setup! I almost posted here to ask if anyone had any thoughts but decided to just make a decision.

My line of thought was, assuming the tile breaker plate thickness is consistent across the models, the double breaker has twice the mass and twice the points as the single. It seemed to be a tie between the large single rectangle version and the double square version for the reason you point out.

In practice, for me and the double square breaker, the eccentric spinning behavior is mild and doesn't seem to be the primary driver of destruction as I thought it would. It's the ricochet action like a pinball machine once one of the corners catches the tile. Sort of like maintaining a basketball dribble. I tried to balance drill speed to keep a steady rhythm of pinball action and set the clutch to my drill to slip in case the breaker ever caught or torque spiked so I didn't break a rod or my wrist.

I also have another 8x12" tiled flue that services the basement and I wanted to ensure the breaker I selected for this job could fit and bust out that terracotta in my second flue in the event I decided to install a wood furnace in the basement next year.

Then there are the ball and chain style which work unless you have round flues. They may even work better than the plate styles so long as the flue is not round. Would be interested to hear other thoughts on that.

 

[bholler]

Tie a rope to 1 end of a weight (like a dumbell or plate weight) and then tie another to the bottom. You'll have a rope going out each direction.

Use the top rope to set the height of the weight, at the stubborn flue tiles. Yank on the bottom rope through the bottom of the chimney to swing it into the tiles.

If the breaker isn't doing it no chance that will. It needs to be cut or chiseled

 

[bholler]

This is a very interesting thought exercise and one that I ran through in my head before pulling the trigger on my spinner setup! I almost posted here to ask if anyone had any thoughts but decided to just make a decision.

My line of thought was, assuming the tile breaker plate thickness is consistent across the models, the double breaker has twice the mass and twice the points as the single. It seemed to be a tie between the large single rectangle version and the double square version for the reason you point out.

In practice, for me and the double square breaker, the eccentric spinning behavior is mild and doesn't seem to be the primary driver of destruction as I thought it would. It's the ricochet action like a pinball machine once one of the corners catches the tile. Sort of like maintaining a basketball dribble. I tried to balance drill speed to keep a steady rhythm of pinball action and set the clutch to my drill to slip in case the breaker ever caught or torque spiked so I didn't break a rod or my wrist.

I also have another 8x12" tiled flue that services the basement and I wanted to ensure the breaker I selected for this job could fit and bust out that terracotta in my second flue in the event I decided to install a wood furnace in the basement next year.

Then there are the ball and chain style which work unless you have round flues. They may even work better than the plate styles so long as the flue is not round. Would be interested to hear other thoughts on that.

The single plate offset rectangle is by far the most aggressive. But you really have to be very careful when using it. Both for your safety and the chimney structures

 

[EmberEnergy]

In hindsight, knowing that my lower section of tiles would be this stubborn, I would've gone the route of ovalizing and set up what was necessary to do that properly, sparing my chimney some impact/abuse.

I'll be going the route of chiseling and cutting it looks like.

Thanks to all.

 

[Dave_in_ABQ]

At least you know the former construction was robust.

 

[bholler]

At least you know the former construction was robust.

Robust maybe but also completely wrong. Clay liners should never be mortared in like that

 

[Dave_in_ABQ]

Robust maybe but also completely wrong. Clay liners should never be mortared in like that

Good point