Watch who you hire to do chimney work

[bholler]

(broken link removed to https://www-cbs17-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.cbs17.com/amp/news/north-carolina-news/industry-experts-concerned-that-nc-handyman-s-chimney-repairs-could-kill-people/1965488516?amp_js_v=a2&ampsa=1#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbs17.com%2Fnews%2Fnorth-carolina-news%2Findustry-experts-concerned-that-nc-handyman-s-chimney-repairs-could-kill-people%2F1965488516)

Unfortunately we see work like his all too often

 

[jetsam]

When we told Larocca industry leaders said he should not be using combustible rubberized sealants to coat entire chimneys, he said, “rubberized compounds are not flammable.”

Why are we even talking about whether rubber is flammable?



...yeah.

Nice use of foil tape to rig up a mutant leaky T to allow your stove to share a flue with whatever's downstairs, though...

These are the photos that HE chose to put up as advertising, too.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

Is he actually using driveway sealant to do a crown repair? Wow I mean what could go wrong?

 

[KJamesJR]

When your house burns down and chimney falls over at least you’ll have something to park your car on.

 

[webby3650]

I’ve seen liquid tar used as a crown seal several times.
Today we put a door in for someone that just paid to have his smoke chamber parged. The guy used a system that’s sprayed, it didn’t go well... all the holes in the bricks were still visible, and the sealant drooped down making hundreds of stalactites hanging. It was worse than the original bricks! I’ve worked behind him several times, he needs to make a lot of refunds. Nothing but a big scam!

 

[jetsam]

I need someone to come up with a story that beats "coated entire prefab fireplace in driveway sealer, built T out of foil tape to allow stove to connect to furnace flue from downstairs", which is what I think I am seeing in the above ad photo.

That is really something. That's from his own yelp.com advertising photo album. See it all here, if you dare.

 

[bholler]

I need someone to come up with a story that beats "coated entire prefab fireplace in driveway sealer, built T out of foil tape to allow stove to connect to furnace flue from downstairs", which is what I think I am seeing in the above ad photo.

That is really something.

That tee doesn't connect to anything but the pellet stove it was put in for. It is still horribly done for sure but no furnace.

 

[jetsam]

That tee doesn't connect to anything but the pellet stove it was put in for. It is still horribly done for sure but no furnace.

Are you sure? The "cap" on the bottom is black and looks like it's coming through fireplace? Maybe it's just the tar.

You'd know better than me, though.

 

[webby3650]

Looks like paint overspray to me..
All of the visible components look to be galvanized steel, including the hearth extension.

 

[bholler]

Are you sure? The "cap" on the bottom is black and looks like it's of a piece with the fireplace? Maybe it's just the tar.

I dont think it has a tee cap at all. It looks like it is just an open tee sitting on the fireplace floor.

 

[bholler]

The idiocy on his website would be amusing if he wasn't screwing people over and endangering them.

 

[jetsam]

Looks like paint overspray to me..
All of the visible components look to be galvanized steel, including the hearth extension.

I guess I'm that guy who argues with the experts today, but you don't see tape on there?

 

[begreen]

Nice use of foil tape to rig up a mutant leaky T to allow your stove to share a flue with whatever's downstairs, though...

I could be wrong, but the low, taped pipe looks like it is for a pellet stove with a pressurized exhaust.

The galvanized metal on the hearth has a hole cut in it. Looks like that will be used to close off the fireplace opening.

 

[webby3650]

I guess I'm that guy who argues with the experts today, but you don't see tape on there?

View attachment 243774

The tape isn’t a problem as long as the insulation isn’t compromised.

 

[bholler]

I guess I'm that guy who argues with the experts today, but you don't see tape on there?

View attachment 243774

The bottom of the tee is the only place i dont see tape.

 

[bholler]

I could be wrong, but the taped pipe looks like it is for a pellet stove with a pressurized exhaust.

It is

 

[webby3650]

I could be wrong, but the taped pipe looks like it is for a pellet stove with a pressurized exhaust.

Tape is standard practice on an insulated liner system.

 

[bholler]

Tape is standard practice on an insulated liner system.

Yes tape is fine. But I would bet that galvanized pipe is just stuck up into the fireplace flue.

 

[webby3650]

Yes tape is fine. But I would bet that galvanized pipe is just stuck up into the fireplace flue.

I agree, there’s no way it’s approved in any way shape or form!

 

[jetsam]

Ah, I've never even seen a pellet stove; thanks for making that less crazy for me.

 

[EbS-P]

This is from my home town. We hit with her with hurricane Florence and since then finding anyone to do any kind of home repair has not been easy and find someone to do a quality job can be near impossible. There are two good companies in town but they are pricy. 10 years ago I had a level 2 chimney cleaning that they charged me 600$ for 15’ of 8x13 flue. I was quoted about 300$ to re-crown mine.

Is it typical to require a journeyman license to sweep a chimney?

 

[Woody Stover]

I guess he put concrete over the expansion gap so it wouldn't leak. And the crown looks very robust. For that kind of hack work, it better be "affordable." Just the fact that he thinks his yelp page is going to get him business, brings his brain into question.

I was quoted about 300$ to re-crown mine.

I was quoted two or three thousand for a roof-up re-build. I think a fair price for a good job would be somewhere in between. bholler estimated 1000-1200 for just a crown, 1500 for a rebuild above the roof and pouring a crown, in my chimney thread. I might have bit on that deal, but I quit looking, as cold weather was almost here, and just did it myself.

 

[bholler]

This is from my home town. We hit with her with hurricane Florence and since then finding anyone to do any kind of home repair has not been easy and find someone to do a quality job can be near impossible. There are two good companies in town but they are pricy. 10 years ago I had a level 2 chimney cleaning that they charged me 600$ for 15’ of 8x13 flue. I was quoted about 300$ to re-crown mine.

Is it typical to require a journeyman license to sweep a chimney?

600 is crazy for a cleaning and 300 is crazy low for a crown

 

[webby3650]

600 is crazy for a cleaning and 300 is crazy low for a crown

A crown seal would be more than that!
If I had to pay that much for a chimney cleaning I’d be loosing money. I’d just burn gas! We have customers that have their system cleaned twice a year and certainly don’t need it, but they feel better about it. It kind of negates the saving to me.

 

[bholler]

A crown seal would be more than that!
If I had to pay that much for a chimney cleaning I’d be loosing money. I’d just burn gas! We have customers that have their system cleaned twice a year and certainly don’t need it, but they feel better about it. It kind of negates the saving to me.

Yeah we have some we do twice a year also. And they usually don't need it. But even twice a year isn't 600