Help with preinstall questions / chimney repairs

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shorenetworks

New Member
Nov 20, 2012
4
So on the road to having a wood insert installed and our local dealer was hellbent on having a class 2 inspection done on the chimney system / cleaning.

As I had expected the chimminy sweep managed to find 1100.00 worth of work not including the 250.00 he charged today!!!!

Issues found were

1. mortar for the floor bricks and the union between the steel box and face bricks are falling need replacing at a cost of 275.00 (we are allowed to do this ourself however he will have to come back out and reinspect ) no cost given but I am willing to bet it will be close to the 250.00 for todays inspection

2. the mortar that is domed at the top of the chimney has very small cracks and needs to be coated with his special coating warranted for 15 years at a cost of 700.00 +

3. damper is rotted / rusting no price given due to the fact it will be removed during insert install

I am all for being safe and for being payed for work done however putting 1100.00 into a chimney thats structurly sound and will have a full insulated liner installed sounds like overkill and just trying to take advantage of me.

Please tell me what you think and if you have any advice.

Thanks

Chris
 
Chris, I think the stainless insulated liner is the way to go. Ask around, but I think you will find most agree. That insulated liner will, by far, outperform a masonry chimney, and you have the security of knowing it doesn't get cracked. It'll last for decades without any problems if properly cared for.
 
The liner is a non question and I have no problem with it beyond the 1600.00 cost for parts and labor.
The work that was quoted today is in addition to the liner
 
You said you are willing to do one repair yourself.

How about the crown sealer yourself? Not sure how big this crown is, but this stuff is sold by 1 gallon, 2 gallon, and 5 gallons containers.

http://www.amazon.com/Lindemann-750...8&qid=1353456021&sr=8-4&keywords=crown+sealer

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pen
 
Unless you have a HUGE chimney, $700 is a lot of $ for a crown coat! Most chimney crown coats run about $350 or so in this area. Don't worry about any bricks in the firebox, they are to contain a fire, you are adding a new upgraded firebox, called an insert. As for the gap between the firebox and the brick face, you can stuff it with insulation and then morter over it if you want, but with the insert and the liner going in there is no real reason to. You shouldn't have to pay for a level 2 inspection anyway, in order to do a level 1 inspection and a cleaning all of these areas would need to be accessed and inspected anyway. In this area the charge would be between$130-$150.
 
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