Chamber Tech Alternative?

[1910Home]

Just added a stainless liner on my wood burning fireplace. In the process I am basically rebuilding the entire internal fireplace including parging the smoke chamber and rebuilding the smoke shelf. Have a couple questions for the pros here.

1. For parging, is there a better option than Chamber Tech 2000? From my measurements of the exposed smoke chamber from the insert bottom plate down to the smoke shelf, I have about 27 square feet to cover. That would be five 30 lbs buckets of Chamber Tech 2000 at their recommended 1.5" thickness. Thoughts on this?
2. I am using regular brick to rebuild the smoke shelf. Would regular N type mortar work? Any additives I need to include in the mortar? I plan to coat the top of the smoke shelf with Chamber Tech 2000
3. The inside of the fireplace and and front of the smoke shelf will be covered in fire brick. I am using EverGuard Refractory Cement for this.

Appreciate all input and advice!

 

[bholler]

Just added a stainless liner on my wood burning fireplace. In the process I am basically rebuilding the entire internal fireplace including parging the smoke chamber and rebuilding the smoke shelf. Have a couple questions for the pros here.

1. For parging, is there a better option than Chamber Tech 2000? From my measurements of the exposed smoke chamber from the insert bottom plate down to the smoke shelf, I have about 27 square feet to cover. That would be five 30 lbs buckets of Chamber Tech 2000 at their recommended 1.5" thickness. Thoughts on this?
2. I am using regular brick to rebuild the smoke shelf. Would regular N type mortar work? Any additives I need to include in the mortar? I plan to coat the top of the smoke shelf with Chamber Tech 2000
3. The inside of the fireplace and and front of the smoke shelf will be covered in fire brick. I am using EverGuard Refractory Cement for this.

Appreciate all input and advice!

There are a few different brands of chamber parging cement on the market they are all very similar I personally prefer chamber coat over chamber tech but it really doesn't matter. As far as the 1.5" part goes you only need to do that thick if you don't have the required thickness of masonry.

What are you doing for a damper? Do you really need a smoke shelf? Fireplaces usually work better without them.

Are you still using 2 liners for this fireplace? If so I would get the liners in and just do enough to seal up the bottom of them to see if it is going to work. I am still very sceptical about it drawing correctly.

 

[1910Home]

There are a few different brands of chamber parging cement on the market they are all very similar I personally prefer chamber coat over chamber tech but it really doesn't matter. As far as the 1.5" part goes you only need to do that thick if you don't have the required thickness of masonry.

What are you doing for a damper? Do you really need a smoke shelf? Fireplaces usually work better without them.

Are you still using 2 liners for this fireplace? If so I would get the liners in and just do enough to seal up the bottom of them to see if it is going to work. I am still very sceptical about it drawing correctly.

Yep, going to try the double liners. Had no recourse in returning them. Fingers crossed they are manageable.

I guess I don’t really need a snow shelf. Was not sure about that.

I’m using a pair of top dampers.

 

[bholler]

Yep, going to try the double liners. Had no recourse in returning them. Fingers crossed they are manageable.

I guess I don’t really need a snow shelf. Was not sure about that.

I’m using a pair of top dampers.

What type of top sealer are you using?

 

[1910Home]

Using two Lock Top Chimney Dampers.

 

[webby3650]

Yep, going to try the double liners. Had no recourse in returning them. Fingers crossed they are manageable.

I guess I don’t really need a snow shelf. Was not sure about that.

I’m using a pair of top dampers.

Man,the price of 2 lock tops would be enough for me to abandon the open fireplace, and then 2 liners! It’s likely to struggle still. Why not just install an insert?

 

[1910Home]

Really don’t need massive output of heat in Southern California. Looking for ambience and also keeping it as original as possible as I am in a historic home.

Converting back from gas as my wife wants to crackle of a real fire.

 

[1910Home]

@bholler , Do you typically use something like Ahrens Smoke Chamber Expansion Tape for allowing expansion between the stainless liner and the parging mortar? Anything else you feel works better?

 

[bholler]

@bholler , Do you typically use something like Ahrens Smoke Chamber Expansion Tape for allowing expansion between the stainless liner and the parging mortar? Anything else you feel works better?

I just use a mesh skirt on the bottom of the liner

 

[1910Home]

I just use a mesh skirt on the bottom of the liner

So parging butted right up to the liner? Here is what I am looking at. I have about 1" of liner protruding through the mesh bottom plates.

 

[begreen]

Was the chimney and smoke shelf thoroughly cleaned before installing the liners?

 

[1910Home]

Was the chimney and smoke shelf thoroughly cleaned before installing the liners?

the Chimney was cleaned well. The smoke shelf and chamber not so much. Due to the strange configuration and tiny opening created by the smoke shelf the sweep could not thoroughly get to all areas at that part. I plan to do some additional cleanup before parging the smoke chamber.

 

[bholler]

So parging butted right up to the liner? Here is what I am looking at. I have about 1" of liner protruding through the mesh bottom plates.

View attachment 242755

I hope it works out for you but looking at that I am really skeptical. I would get a bucket of chambertech to just seal that up and see if it draws before putting allot more time in it.