DMV Chimney Repairs

[Nick Ostrowski]

This might be one of my best chimneys yet.

[Corn Walker]

There is no shortage of awesome in that chimney. Congratulations.

[Phil Brody]

That boy needs an award for being way outside the box.

[John Arnold]

Nick, You have raised the bar very high, my friend. I can only dream of the day that I, too, may discover such a gem. I will now go put on a hat, so that I may remove it in your honor.

[Bob Harper]

Looks like the smoke read the sign because the wythe wall collapsed and blocked the flue. Nice! Total rebuild on that pile of sand and bricks. Really sad that someone has been up there with stucco and mortar applying Band-aids to this brick pile.

What's venting up into this abortion Nick?

Seems to have the Philly requisite roofing tar outer coating...

John, you have your work cut out for you.

[Ashley Eldridge]

Now that one is a classic! Lets hope that the blocked flue has no appliance attached to it. Those bricks look very unsteady in the other flue. No shortage of combustible material at the top of that chimney.

Ashley Eldridge
Chimney Safety Institute of America
Director of Education

[Phil Brody]

OK should I sell this stop sign I stole for scrap or save it for a future construction project ?

[brian schmitt]

in picture #4 looks like creative use of a 5 gallon bucket bucket metal lid under the stop sign. this must have been engineered for proper drafting. a true philly treasure! nick should consider nominating this to the hysterical registry!:D

[Nick Ostrowski]

Thank you gentlemen. I am also available for birthday parties and 1st communion celebrations.

The flue actually had a gas-fired boiler and gas-fired water heater venting into it. The color coded plastic rings around the water pipe fittings on top of the tank had done some melting and had heat distortion.

[Nick Ostrowski]

Seems to have the Philly requisite roofing tar outer coating...


It's great isn't? I like to tell my clients that the tar coating is actually a good thing because it helps lock in flavor and keeps the chimney extra moist and juicy.

;)

[Bob Harper]

It's great isn't? I like to tell my clients that the tar coating is actually a good thing because it helps lock in flavor and keeps the chimney extra moist and juicy.

;)

And hold the rest of the house together probably. I think most Philly roofs are one big amorphous blob of tar. Maybe the VOCs off-gassing can explain a lot.

Actually, aside from the flammability as Ashley pointed out, it traps water vapor thus accelerating the death of the chimney from within as you described so eloquently Nick.

Maybe next time, you'll find a traffic signal interlocked with the burner to tell the smoke when to stop and go. Unreal. You know how heavy those signs are and bulky? Must have been a real PIA to get it up there. Also, some of those signs are being made of MDO board and not metal. Maybe they can knock it down into the attic and find it solid enough for a liner to there then B-vent the rest of the way up.

[Stephen DeCosta]

There is a lot to poke fun at . What is sad is that , we all pay for this kind of
negligence in increased insurance premiums.:mad:

[Nick Ostrowski]

I was sifting through some old threads and came across this one. Too good to it be buried deep in the archives. To the top!!!

[Mark Reinmiller]

I was sifting through some old threads and came across this one. Too good to it be buried deep in the archives. To the top!!!

That looked like a Philadelphia chimney before I even looked at your location.

Do roofing contractors in other areas like asphalt as much as Philadelphia contractors? I've heard it referred to as Philadelphia flashing.