#$#% chimney! Removing terra cotta liners

[rob bennett]

I just dropped my 8 foot steel breaker bar down my chimney while I was trying to break out the terra cotta liner! Rats.

Anyone have any quick way to remove the terra cotta liners? Has anyone actually used the metal plates that you can attach to a drill?

I don't have enough space to run my new insulated liner down the chimney flues. I might need to give it a slight ovalization.


Thanks for sharing in my frustration. It going to be a buggar to get that bar back up!

Skipping the insulation isn't an option. And it REALLY after what I did to the top 6 feet of terra cotta flue!

 

[jdinspector]

Would one of those strong magnets work? Attach it to a rope and hope to get lucky?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I have seen those chain whips in the service catalog, Have you looked into one of them? hopefully one of the pro sweeps shows up and gives ya some sound advice.

 

[daryl]

Feel for you man.Just clean the tiles out off the clean out area it well come down with the tiles. You need too get a tile breaking setup it has a offset weight at the bottom with steel rods that hook up to a large drill.You might be better off getting a sweep to do it for you.When breaking tiles with a tile breaking setup always start at the bottom and work your way up the chimney.Let gravity help then the tiles well not hang up on the ones that are not broken below it.Without the right tools you could be there a long time.Best of luck

 

[jacksnipe]

I ran into the Same issue with faulty clay flue tiles in our brick chimney. I tried to remove the tiles myself, but ran into more trouble & grief than I was prepare for. We called a sweep with a tile breaker & vaccum attachment to break out the entire 17' of flues. It took 2 men a couple of hours to complete this & are we glad we had paid for this job, the new insulated sst. liner went in very easy & the performance is much better than with the old set up.

 

[daryl]

If you do have the tiles broke out I would use a pourable insulation (Ther-mix is a brand I use) When mixed it should be like damp sand.When it is poured in it fills all the gaps and makes for a nice solid chimney.And Meets UL1777

 

[Highbeam]

I use my big metal bar a lot. They are heavy and there's nothing on them to grab with a chain so you might be better off welding a hook to it from below and then hooking a rope to that and pulling it up. My luck would be that it would hang up on the way up the chimney.

How about just destroying the chimney and putting up a real metal chimney system? It is obvious that your liner wasn't meant to be.

 

[cmonSTART]

Actually I have a special tool for that. It's a metal plate which attaches to the end of my button-lock rods. You attach a drill and it bashes the snot out of the tiles.

 

[BrotherBart]

Here are pics of tile breakers. Not much to make your own.

 

[rob bennett]

thanks everyone, BB I am right with you. I bought a chunk of steel and some 3/8 inch rebar to make my own. I'll report on my progress. The breaker bar still sits at the bottom. I'm going to crawl on the roof tonight with the trusty head lamp and see where it is resting. Pretty sure it is on the smoke shelf. I like the rare earth magnet idea, but it's a 20 pound bar. I have a pile of small re magnets that I use to hold down hatches on my strip kayak. I'd need to get a lot more!

 

[rob bennett]

Victory!

Pulled it out with nylon layso wired to the end of a 12 foot cedar 1X1. I made a little wire hook at the end too.

I went under the bar with the hook and when the bar leaned back onto the chimney it fell into the layso. Then I used the cedar pole to put counter pressure on the layso around the bar and up it went.

Then I knocked out 2 out of the last three flues. What a great way to end a day. I am going to grab a longer bar and knock out the last flue tomorrow. It think it will be faster then my makeshift drill rebar attachement.

I am just about 90% sure this is EXACTLY the process that the pros use. Or perhaps not.

 

[rob bennett]

Just finished bashing out the remaining liner with a 10 foot angle iron and a sledge. I literally split the flue down the middle and it fell down. I pulled the bricks down 1 foot bellow the roof line and started putting the new brick up. I got about 2 feet up today.

 

[BrotherBart]

You da man. I see victory in sight here.

 

[cmonSTART]

I guess I should have mentioned dynamite works great!

 

[BrotherBart]

I guess I should have mentioned dynamite works great!

So does a .44 magnum. It gets kinda dicey down in the living room though. :ahhh:

 

[cmonSTART]

Just keep the damper closed.

 

[ansehnlich1]

a guy should be postin' pics of all this demolishin activity

 

[rob bennett]

Funny that someone mentioned shooting the last tile out. I actually considered it for about 5 min before I started thinking what a funny news blurb it would be... Man killed while shooting own chimney.

I'll post a picture when i get a little bit more brick up. For the record, masons are worth whatever they are charging. Man it is difficult slooooooow work to get it right when you don't have years of experience. But very satisfying.