First Sweep in 5 year! Creosote

[MR. GLO]

liner blanket cap t plug thats a ripoff price.

find out what brand.

but id try to burn kiln dry wood first .

definitely get a second quote.

 

[bholler]

liner blanket cap t plug thats a ripoff price.

find out what brand.

but id try to burn kiln dry wood first .

definitely get a second quote.

Yes the price is high

 

[ColetteFisher]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. So I decided to check and see what things looked like at the top. after finally getting some nice weather, and some courage, I went to the roof! That was an adventure in itself, but I do believe I can up and down safely.

Here are my limited observations:

Chimney is about two stories in length, and 40% is outside. I did notice the top of my chimmney had some cracks for the mortar falling out in one small area.

The top is close up of my cap? Other than some of Creosote, what do you think of this type of Cap?(I was recommended this isn't a good one).

I wasn't able to get it off, I did unscrew one of the bolts, but it was still tight, and to be honest wasnt 100% sure the proper to take cap off so I will do some research. it did look there must have been creosote up there, but did appear to cleaned from the sweep. There was a little soot, and creosoate that must of came out during the sweep. Maybe 1/4 cup. following is pic. It was soft like, and moldable. I couldnt see in 100% but looked simillar to what the bottom looked liked after cleaning, I could be wrong.

I am going to get a 2nd opinion from another Chimney company.


Any additional thoughts, comments?

What are your thoughts to me using Cre-Away Powder products from top and bottom, and then sweep again myself, and see how clean I get it, then going forward only burning kiln dry, hard woods? I am more of a recreational burner. Probably 1/2 to 1 cord a year.

 

[begreen]

I would get another sweep with good references to come out. It is unwise to burn in at this stage without first clearly determining the extent of creosote build up and bringing the system into safe operating condition. If the problem is severe then the sweep may recommend using a creosote reducer product followed by another sweeping.

 

[MR. GLO]

If they go up there again maybe be ready to put some top coat on the crown. Its spread it with a paint brush. My advice dont do any chimney mortar repairs in cold weather. I always get sloppy work during the winter.

 

[bholler]

Don't just slap crown coat on it. It doesn't fix a bad crown at all.

 

[MR. GLO]

Don't just slap crown coat on it. It doesn't fix a bad crown at all.

I had a crack like that and put two coats the crown coat held up well over 15 years ago and chimney is still there from 1951, but nothing was loose. I also sealed the chimney brick. My other house has it and its holding up well on the masons mix top coat (not a crown) which is from the same time frame.

When do you suggest replacing the entire crown? I am assuming you suggest that when its loose, but on one crack? Just asking...

 

[BigJ273]

I had a crack like that and put two coats the crown coat held up well over 15 years ago and chimney is still there from 1951, but nothing was loose. I also sealed the chimney brick. My other house has it and its holding up well on the masons mix top coat (not a crown) which is from the same time frame.

When do you suggest replacing the entire crown? I am assuming you suggest that when its loose, but on one crack? Just asking...

I had my crown replaced last year. And my brick sealed. I was actually shocked at how inexpensive it was. It wasn’t cheap, but nowhere near what I expected. Also had my mortar grinded out to the roof line and replaced, it was in March. Can’t remember the temps. Had the top five rows of bricks replaced also. All for under 2k. Guy did a fantastic job. Took him 5 whole days. Very satisfied so far.

 

[bholler]

I had a crack like that and put two coats the crown coat held up well over 15 years ago and chimney is still there from 1951, but nothing was loose. I also sealed the chimney brick. My other house has it and its holding up well on the masons mix top coat (not a crown) which is from the same time frame.

When do you suggest replacing the entire crown? I am assuming you suggest that when its loose, but on one crack? Just asking...

Chances are there is a crack on each side of that clay liner because there is no expansion joint. The one we can see travels down into a head joint which is open. I can also see the edges eroding back. It is no longer doing its job of keeping water out of the chimney and should be replaced.

But no one small crack would not lead me to say it needs replaced. A high-quality caulk like through the roof or osi works well on small cracks.

I also generally dislike sealing masonry. If it is built correctly and the mortar and crown is in good condition sealing is usually a waste of money that can potentially cause problems down the road. The only time I will use sealer is on very porous masonry units. Usually sandstone

 

[Tom Cat]

I logged on to the site for the first time in a few years and saw this post and realized that my chimney was way overdue (I think 3.5 years, but as a vacation home it's probably equivalent to 1.5 years)

The guy comes and a fair amount of ash comes out but no cresote. He said I was burning well.

So I want to thank all the experienced hands on this site that educated me about very seasoned wood and not letting the stove cool too much.

tom