A recent customer of ours recently needed some chimney repair and decided on a new concrete crown and flue tiles.
He noticed damaged bricks and cracks in his crown. His flue tiles were also in bad shape, so he called Idaho Fireplace and Chimney to help him out.
We first removed his old crown and the top row of bricks that had gone bad. At this point his top flue tiles began to fall apart and needed to be removed as well. We were unable to find local replacement flue tiles at that time. So we decided to make our own concrete flue tiles.
The first step was to measure just how big the inner and outer dimensions we needed were and create a mold. We then filled the mold with concrete, reinforcing fibers and wire, and packed it tight. In less than an hour they were ready to be placed.
While we waited for the flue tiles to cure, we poured the new concrete crown, added, rebar and fibers, and achieved our overhanging edge with our metal forms. We used spacers to allow the crown to be poured without the flue tiles and so we could add them back in later. This also helps achieve a bond break between the crown and flue tiles. Expansion and contraction happens in the flue when the fireplaces are in use.
We removed the crown forms and set the new concrete tiles in place. Next we sealed the space between the tiles and the crown and installed the new stainless steel chimney caps. And the cherry on top was the application of Chimney Saver Waterproofing to prevent damage from freezing and thawing.
The customer was completely thrilled with the way everything turned out and couldn’t wait to show and tell all of his neighbors.
A concrete crown and flue tiles can not only extend the lifespan of your chimney, but give it a makeover as well. This chimney repair is now a statement piece.
