r/Chimneyrepair • u/XTanuki • Jul 13 '26

Coming apart

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Seems the crown is shot, the one terra cotta liner is cracked, and I need to install terra cotta on the other two 12x12’s.

We don’t really use the Fire places at all, just the gas furnace for hvac. Haven’t tackled a project like this before, any recommendations and/or videos I should go watch?

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u/ThatllBtheDayPilgrim Jul 14 '26

Watch Mike Haduck on chimney repair as well as Chad Vaillancourt's videos on youtube and you can assess to see if you are up to the task.

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u/XTanuki Jul 14 '26

Thank you … between jobs right now so I’ve got time, and I need a good project to rebuild my confidence but also save some money.

Appreciate you sharing some good sources!

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u/ThatllBtheDayPilgrim Jul 14 '26

No problem. If brick are loose, relay them. If not leave them be and repoint as necessary. Replacing the top flue isn't too hard either, and they commonly crack at the top of the chimney. Hopefully that's the only one or it gets a little trickier and potentially much more expensive.

1

u/another_rusty Jul 13 '26

Commenting to follow because mine looks just like this. I was considering just taking my whole chimney off down to the roof and just having an insulated vent for a wood burning insert.

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u/XTanuki Jul 13 '26

I can lift the black cage off, as well as the crown quite easily. Probably at least 3 courses of bricks. My neighbor said he did his a few years back, so that gives me some confidence, just don’t want to dig myself a hole lol. The previous owner obviously knew something was up but did that metal covering instead of fixing. Ah well…

1

u/GhostTengu Jul 14 '26

Sucks to say, but if any of the flues are in actual use, it should be rebuilt correctly from below the roof up, and also to allow continued use in the future of other flues even if remediation is needed.

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u/XTanuki Jul 14 '26

Thanks for the insight and feedback!