Anyone From NYC or Long Island to Recommend Block off Plate Installer

[chemie]

This season will be our second burning season. The installer didn’t want to install block off plate and said not needed. He just stuffed in an insulation blanket at the top of the chimney but nothing at the bottom. No roxul neither.
I am not sure if it would make a difference but I’d like to install block off plate and maybe also some roxul. I am not a handy person to install block off plate/roxul. Anyone has a recommendation for an installer who can do block off plate along with roxul? I live in Bayside, Long Island border.

 

[lml999]

It's not rocket science. Anyone with tin snips and a good drill can do it. Since you're not comfortable doing it yourself, I'd suggest that you ask a couple of staff wandering the aisles at Home Depot if they know anyone handy.

 

[chemie]

It's not rocket science. Anyone with tin snips and a good drill can do it. Since you're not comfortable doing it yourself, I'd suggest that you ask a couple of staff wandering the aisles at Home Depot if they know anyone handy.

I understand that it is not rocket science but I wouldn’t feel comfortable picking up someone from HomeDepot to do the fire related work.
I wish @jetsam or any other Long Islanders would help

 

[jetsam]

I understand that it is not rocket science but I wouldn’t feel comfortable picking up someone from HomeDepot to do the fire related work.
I wish @jetsam or any other Long Islanders would help

I have a total of one experience with Long Island stove installers. The stove shop told me that they had never heard of a blockoff plate but I could discuss it with the guys they subcontracted the work out to. The guys that did the install said that it wasn't needed and they didn't install them.

Honestly, anyone who bills themselves as a handyman should be able to do it once you explain the concept to them. They need to stuff some Roxul up the chimney around the flue, then block the airspace around the flue with a piece of sheet metal, leaving a little room for expansion around the flue. They'll need some masonry anchors, a drill and a masonry bit, tin snips, screwdrivers, a batt of roxul, and a piece of sheet metal, plus whatever kind of floor/hearth protection you will require for pulling out the insert. I'd suggest also having a big piece of cardboard handy to make a template with. If you want to get fancy with the fireplace insulation, add some cement board and stove paint to the list (see mellow's writeup of his fireplace insulation).

The hardest part of the whole thing for me was getting the panels of the surround straight again after I was done, which required relocating the insert slightly a bunch of times.

 

[DBoon]

This is realistically one of those crappy projects that no one wants to do. If you can watch a youtube video for instructions, buy a few basic tools and can be somewhat handy with them, you will likely do a far better job than the reluctant person you hire who will do the work poorly.

 

[begreen]

Here are some tips on how to make a blockoff plate with several thread links for examples.

Make a damper sealing block-off plate

A block-off plate is particularly helpful with inserts installed in fireplace on exterior walls with exterior chimneys. Without one, the flue liner (which should be insulated) and the stove will try to heat the mass of masonry that is exposed to the outdoors. This can result in a...

www.hearth.com

 

[kaymac]

Have you thought to contact a Chimney Sweep company? I'm sure they would be able to do this for a price.

 

[chemie]

Thanks for all the responses. Unfortunately I am not handy to handle it on my own...
Not a single chimney sweepers or installers I asked is willing to do it. One person said he would charge at least $850 if he wanted to do.
They all said it is not needed...

It may be late for this burning season, but before the next burning season if @jetsam happens to be in the neighborhood and willing to do it, I would take him to a Broadway show followed by a dinner

 

[Geoff C]

There are some apps where you can post small jobs and people reply with a quote. The people have ratings of past work. One of them is called Thumbtack. A guy I used to work with would pick up odd jobs all the time.

Other than that I would look for "handyman" services. Find a handyman in your area that looks like he does small jobs.