Chimney Cap Replacement

[mass_burner]

My slate, chimney cover is cracked and needs to be replaced. It's ~ 36" x 60". Am I locked into stone?

 

[begreen]

That is a big cap. Anything that is durable and noncombustible should work, but there may be caveats. A 1/2 steel sheet would work,but it will rust. Stainless is much better. It can be powder coated. Here are a couple examples from a local shop.



can be ordered online
https://www.firesidechimneysupply.c...aps/multi-flue-with-skirt-custom-options.html

 

[billb3]

I'd make a 30x60 slab of 2 or 3 inch concrete.
Had one on a stone fireplace for 40 years, a brick standing up on each corner to support it.

Course, slate isn't exactly rare or hard to find and both are heavy to be getting up there.



Seems to me there used to be a slate or blue sandstone quarry on the way down to Newport someplace but I'm not finding one now.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My wonder is how you'd get stone up there. With concrete, you could pour it up there and save yourself some grief.

Metal would be nice. Might even make cleaning the chimney much easier.

 

[mass_burner]

We get nasty nor'eastas here, so metal or things that light given the size will probably shake loose after a while. We like the clean flat cap. What about making a cement board cap up there? Mm maybe even double it up for weight?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[jetsam]

36x60 is just the size of a piece of cement board. Paint it black, screw it down, tell your wife about the cap you 'fabricated'.

I guess you could tile the cement board, but the tile is just more crap to blow off later.

 

[mass_burner]

Pics

 

[jetsam]

That is not 36x60 unless the photo is wonky, but a piece of painted cement board is still an easy cheap answer.

 

[bholler]

As someone who works on chimneys every day i absolutly hate stone caps like that. It makes it very difficult to work on the chimney. A stainless cap is much easiet to work with and it has screen to keep critters out. If it is installed right it will not blow off. One the size of yours should have atleast a dozen stainless tapcons and adhesive holding it down.

On a side note i have seen flag stone blow off a few times. One went through the roof and the ceiling below into the livingroom.

 

[mass_burner]

As someone who works on chimneys every day i absolutly hate stone caps like that. It makes it very difficult to work on the chimney. A stainless cap is much easiet to work with and it has screen to keep critters out. If it is installed right it will not blow off. One the size of yours should have atleast a dozen stainless tapcons and adhesive holding it down.

On a side note i have seen flag stone blow off a few times. One went through the roof and the ceiling below into the livingroom.

do they even make a stainless cap that big?

 

[double-d]

One thing to remember, that with 1 cap covering multiple flues, the exhaust may have a tendency to collect under the lid and can be sucked back into the house. Using multiple caps, and maybe at different heights, if you do run into that issue.
They can make caps pretty much any size, they may need to splice them together, to get the size needed, but it can be done.

 

[bholler]

do they even make a stainless cap that big?

Absolutly i put on a 9'x4.5' one last fall.

 

[Ludlow]

Go to a granite shop and ask if they have any cutoffs that would be large enough. They get inundated with scrap pieces they cant use and most just throw them over the hill behind their shops for fill. Might give it to ya and just charge ya a small fee to rough cut to size or you can cut it with an angle grinder.

 

[bholler]

Go to a granite shop and ask if they have any cutoffs that would be large enough. They get inundated with scrap pieces they cant use and most just throw them over the hill behind their shops for fill. Might give it to ya and just charge ya a small fee to rough cut to size or you can cut it with an angle grinder.

Yes but then you have to get a heavy peice of granite up there. And move it out of the way anytime you want to access the top of the chimney

 

[Ludlow]

Yes but then you have to get a heavy peice of granite up there. And move it out of the way anytime you want to access the top of the chimney

Dang right! I know you are tough though!
After I looked at it, that chimney is a big boy. LOL

 

[bholler]

Dang right! I know you are tough though!
After I looked at it, that chimney is a big boy. LOL

Lol yes i could do it but why make things harder for yourself? Any time i work on a chimney i try to figure out how i can make it easier to work on and more durable.

 

[Ludlow]

Lol yes i could do it but why make things harder for yourself? Any time i work on a chimney i try to figure out how i can make it easier to work on and more durable.

I didnt realize how big that chimney was when I said it. Not sure you will find a scrap piece that big anyway.