Stainless steel chimney crown cover

[fire_man]

Anybody have any experience with stainless steel crown covers?

There are not many posts on this. I am looking at possibly covering my 6' x 3' crown with a stainless cap from Rockford Chimney. The prices are very reasonable with 20 gauge stainless and it beats knocking out a 5" concrete slab and repouring a new one.

 

[bholler]

They work very well. I prefer the look of masonry but functionally the stainless will perform much better. And it certainly is easier especially if you dont do masonry work all the time

 

[fire_man]

Thanks, bholler. I have been talking with Rockford Chimney about the stainless cover and they are very helpful.

I don't plan to go this route, but would it have been an option to pour a 4" slab on top of my old crown assuming it was structurally in good shape? The only place it failed was at the edges where it thinned to 1/2" over the brick. The rest is massive solid concrete. I would worry about that much weight on top.

 

[Ludlow]

Is there a 2x4 in there? Looks like it.

 

[fire_man]

Is there a 2x4 in there? Looks like it.

I can see why you say that it looks just like a 2x4 in the picture. Its a yellowed narrow cinder block. Its so thin it makes me nervous thinking about demo-ing that crown (everything collapsing down) which is why I am looking into the stainless chase cover.

I even thought of renting a 14" masonry saw that could go thru rebar but that just sounds crazy to me when I look at the stainless cover solution.

The picture below is a better closeup.

 

[bholler]

That would bust up pretty quick with a demo hammer. 2 hours at most

 

[fire_man]

What if there is rebar in there and is there risk of the whole thing collapsing?

The angle iron is only supported on the brick by like 1/4 inch and there are thin cinderblocks also used as supports for part of the crown.Looks like a bunch of dominos waiting to fall ?!

 

[fire_man]

How would you remove this mortar bed from the top of these bricks so I don't disturb the brick itself? A chisel might loosen the brick which I don't want to happen.

 

[bholler]

What if there is rebar in there and is there risk of the whole thing collapsing?

The angle iron is only supported on the brick by like 1/4 inch and there are thin cinderblocks also used as supports for part of the crown.Looks like a bunch of dominos waiting to fall ?!

I cant say if there is a risk or not without seeing it in person. But i will say that risk is very rare.

 

[bholler]

How would you remove this mortar bed from the top of these bricks so I don't disturb the brick itself? A chisel might loosen the brick which I don't want to happen.

View attachment 227629

A grinder and or demo hammer

 

[fire_man]

If using a grinder would you use a diamond blade with no guard/shroud?

 

[bholler]

If using a grinder would you use a diamond blade with no shroud??

Diamond blade yes but absolutly use the guard.

 

[fire_man]

Diamond blade yes but absolutly use the guard.

Will a 4 1/2" angle grinder get the whole top surface clean without the guard? I can't get at both sides of the brick with the crown in the way on one side.

 

[bholler]

Will a 4 1/2" angle grinder get the whole top surface clean without the guard? I can't get at both sides of the brick with the crown in the way on one side.

If you angle it you can clean the whole surface

 

[fire_man]

bholler can you tell me if you would change the top course of brick so they are even (moved out) with the two corbelled layers below? Not sure if you can tell from the picture but the top layer is shifted 1/4 inch in from the next two layers.

Would't that make more sense since I plan to put on a chase cover and the skirt will look better and fit better?

 

[bholler]

bholler can you tell me if you would change the top course of brick so they are even (moved out) with the two corbelled layers below? Not sure if you can tell from the picture but the top layer is shifted 1/4 inch in from the next two layers.

Would't that make more sense since I plan to put on a chase cover and the skirt will look better and fit better?


View attachment 227645

Yes i would corbeling in on the top of the chimney is absolutly horrible for durability

 

[bholler]

And btw why is your liner sticking through the cap and so high

 

[fire_man]

I added 3 feet of pipe because the Woodstock Progress was backpuffing. 3 feet made all the difference.

I checked the pipe today (it was last cleaned in January) and there was absolutely no buildup of soot. I know - it should be Class A but I have been running it this way for years and I never get buildup. I clean it midway in Winter every year.

 

[fire_man]

What's the best way to remove a row of brick without disturbing the bricks below?
My angle grinder only cuts in 2 inches. The brick is 3 1/2 inches deep.

 

[Ludlow]

Why would you need class A inside a masonry chimney? If you cut in as far as you can and then tap on the brick it should pop out. The weakest bond will break first.

 

[bholler]

Why would you need class A inside a masonry chimney? If you cut in as far as you can and then tap on the brick it should pop out. The weakest bond will break first.

He should have class a sticking out the top not in it.

 

[bholler]

What's the best way to remove a row of brick without disturbing the bricks below?
My angle grinder only cuts in 2 inches. The brick is 3 1/2 inches deep.

Like ludlow said cut as deep as you can then tap it or pry up. If the mortar on the lower brick is good the upper should pop loose.

 

[fire_man]

Will do. Thanks.

Wonder why angle grinders aren't made to cut a little deeper for masons...

I'd give a left side body part to work with a good mason for a summer.

 

[Ludlow]

Will do. Thanks.

Wonder why angle grinders aren't made to cut a little deeper for masons...

Because theyd be called partner saws then!

 

[bholler]

Will do. Thanks.

Wonder why angle grinders aren't made to cut a little deeper for masons...

I'd give a left side body part to work with a good mason for a summer.

They make bigger grinders but they are a pain to use. We use an arbortech to cut out individual bricks