Vent: That flue repair I thought would be 2 hours ate up my whole Saturday

Hey crew. So I get a call last week about a chimney that's drafting bad. Old brick house in Portland, nothing crazy. I figure it's just a stuck damper or some creosote buildup. Get up there, find the flue liner has a crack running about 4 feet down from the top. Easy fix I thought - just patch it with some refractory cement. Well the mortar was crumbly as heck and kept breaking off as I tried to clean the area. Ended up having to cut out a section of tile liner and replace it with a stainless insert. Took me 7 hours from start to finish. My back is still sore. Has anyone else had a routine job turn into a nightmare like that? How long did you expect vs. actual time?

2 comments

2 Comments

julia_lee26d ago

Patch that area the night before with a damp rag and some wire brushing to knock off loose stuff, saves you from the crumbly mortar surprise. I've had more than a few "quick" liner jobs turn into a full day because the old tile just disintegrates. Always budget double the time you think for any masonry work on old houses (like pre 1950s) because the materials are usually shot.

king.andrew26d ago

My buddy Mike tried to skip that prep on a 1940s bathroom last summer. He spent 4 hours just watching the old tile crumble off the wall as he tried to carefully remove the liner. By 3pm he was calling me asking if he could borrow my hammer drill for the concrete backer board he didn't plan on needing.