removing flues

larry merlau

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18,741
Location
Delton, Michigan
ok this is sorta carpentry but is construction i have a existing chimney that has cracked flues part way down, the upper portion is brick and the lower portion is chimney block, the older portion is where the cracked flues are,, any suggestions on how to remove the flues without taking the whole chimney down?
 
Like Jonathan said, It may be more cost effective to just run a liner up the chimney. Most codes are going that route now anyway. Your best bet is to talk to a couple of the places that sell woodstoves and gas fireplace inserts. They would be able to give you a pretty good estimate to do it or what it would take to do it yourself
 
i have talked with them and they are the ones who said i should remove the old flues.. i have measured the existing flue space inside and its 7" one way and 6.75 the other if i could push down the 7"inch pipe i would.. just not sure i can get ti to go down there without hanging up??? talking &" round stainless rigid pipe..
 
Larry, our computer repair man in the corporation was our maintenance man for years. He also builds homes, lays block and builds chimneys. I just sent him an email, if or when he emails or comes and talks to me, will relay to you any suggestions/thoughts he has on this subject. Back before our outside boiler, he built two chimneys for my house. Let you know what I find out when I find something out.
 
I know they sell oval pipe for duct work, dunno if they do for flue's as well or not.

Might consider a pellet stove insert, Should have room for the 4" exaust pipe. ;)
 
I know they sell oval pipe for duct work, dunno if they do for flue's as well or not.

Might consider a pellet stove insert, Should have room for the 4" exaust pipe. ;)

darren if i were a politician i could afford a pellet stove but i am not so i cant:) i think i could squezz in the 7" that the guy suggested but to spend the $800 to get the stuff and find out it got stuck half way down the chimney and then have to get it back out some how before snow flies might be a little tense for me:) could always take and buy one section and see if i could get it to go down.. but there again how would you push it down without the rest of it to push with??/ also am thinking og going with 6" and not have to push at all.. or i could take and break out one on the bottom and see if i couldnt just keep knock the top one down.. kind like breaking concrete,, once you get it under mined it breaks much better than setting on its pad:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
I remember seeing on a This Old House episode that they used a tube rubber bladder filled with air for the length of the chimney, they then filled the voids with a runny mortar from the top, which filled in the voids and cracks. Once the mortar was set, they let the air out of the tube and removed it.

Dunno if it would be big enough to do that. :dunno:
 
Larry, here is the email I just got from my guy.

I don't think the 7" pipe will fit down that size flu liner as the metal pipe will measure a little larger than 7" at the joints. As far as the removal of the old liner, I know of no way to do that short of replacing the chimney block and all. Is the pipe outlet on the stove 7" or could it be smaller?

Told him I would get back with him with the answer to his last question.

So, am I coming up for a chimney party?
 
well then i quess i am back to a 6" pipe then.. the stove has a 7" outlet jonathan.. and i am not gonna take the brick down.. and the stove only has about 4 ft of pipe from stove to chimney,, fittings and all
 
Chimney liners are not mortared in right? If not, could I build you some type of expanding jaws that we could send down the chimney then turn along the premise of a three jawed gear puller?
Ask your stove manufacturer about the reduction to 6".
 
Larry, I don't know where you are with your chimney problem but got a minute to face to face talk with my chimney guy. He said he did not know of anyway to remove a chimney liner without tearing down the chimney. He has heard of "sleeving" a chimney but knows now most insurance companies want it to be a stainless sleeve. That is not cheap and if it can't be forced all the way down, the stainless won't be able to be returned, might get stuck in the chimney, eventually causing the chimney to still be torn down and rebuilt. He says, the best bet is redoing the chimney. Sorry bud, know that isn't the news you were probably looking for. Is this a block chimney or bricked?
 
no jonathan the liners are fired clay liners like normal chimneys.. the liner i was looking to insert is the stainless one.. and i think that if one could break the lower one the you could work your way up and get the rest broke with out removing the whole chimney structure,, but it is to close to heating season for me to experiment on my ideas:) will just watch it close this winter and do something next spring..it would be nice to be able to get a look at the degree of trouble with some sort of camera, like those fish cameras and just drop it down to look at it as i go..but i dont have one..
 
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Ya know the materials to rebuild the chimney are about half the price of the liner? Just 4 times the labor :rofl::rofl::rofl: My mason wants $1,400.00 to put up a one flue 24 feet tall.:thumb: Sounds like you got a mason just south of ya that will help out for food and water.:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
chuck i could do the bottom part with my own labor its those bricks that i dont have experience in...and that is what shows.. the purty part that i dont want to have looking ugly like me:) ken i dont think so,, unless they just used the balloon tactic and then filled with a mortar mix.. know if you could get a realllt thing guy down there with some refractory like i used in the foundry then yes you could but they dont make men that thin:D
 
The top aint no harder than the bottom. The pieces are just smaller.:thumb::thumb: And you can stack the whole thing in a day ifn you have a hand full of 1/2" nuts laying round.:thumb:

Oh and yes this is me talking you into putting up a new chimney even though if one goes up here the mason guy will prolly be doing it.:thumb:
Right now I'm still trying to figure out if it's worth the 1K to watch some one else lug block up a ladder. I haven't quite got my self talked into parting with the money though.:doh::thumb::thumb::rofl:
 
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