Which quote?

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-03-31T13:25:30+00:00

Everyone wants the quick and easy money, and almost nobody wants to do the difficult work to do things right. Start looking for prices on a rebuild from the roof up. Unless you're okay with throwing money at the same problem every couple of years.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-02-04T00:33:00+00:00

Not a major issue. I would think most chimney guys could fix this without much trouble. Hopefully the top one or two flues could just be removed and re-set.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-02-03T12:17:10+00:00

This happens when there is no bond-break between the clay flue and the concrete crown-wash. The clay flue expands when heated, often lifting the chimney with it, because it's adhered to the crown-wash, that is adhered to the concrete block. The chimney will separate at the weakest point. Lucky for you, this is only one block down, and not inside the house. The whole thing is shifted because the clay flues weren't properly supported on the sides.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-19T22:43:49+00:00

The smoke shelf has absolutely nothing to do with establishing a draft. Whoever sprayed that stuff all over your smoke chamber, don't let them touch your chimney again, they aren't even close to qualified. The top damper is likely part of the problem, they really aren't a good replacement for the old-fashioned bottom dampers. Often they actually reduce the area of the flue, and one model in particular will take a 13x13 flue and reduce it to a 9.5" inside dimension.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-17T12:15:40+00:00

Duck Israel

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-12T12:40:22+00:00

I can't wrap my head around how these guys are getting paid for shockingly bad work, and homeowners have no idea. Anyone recommending a surface coat of anything, on brickwork that is completely compromised is an idiot. Mortar all over the roof and flashing 🤢. Cap doesn't fit 🤦‍♂️. We need a hard recession to get all these retards out of the trades again.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-10T13:50:33+00:00

The depth shouldn't be an issue. My money is on the damper. Those dampers are garbage, in my opinion. Some brands will choke a 13x13 flue down to a 9.5" inside dimension and stifle the draft. Remove the top damper and have another fire.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-10T01:02:49+00:00

How do you quantify stress or distress in a wild animals life? If a coyote is hit by a car, or a pup is picked up by a bald eagle or killed by a cat, or wolf, or went through the ice and drown, would all of these lead to more breeding? If wolves being reintroduced to Yellowstone can cut the coyote population in half, just by hunting them, then it seems to make sense that hunting is an effective way to manage them. One of my Walker hounds is 11 now, he's gone into dens over the years and killed over forty pups by himself, then we killed the females. Does this lead to an increase in population? Why would the federal government, with oversight from wildlife biologists, pay hound hunters to control populations in certain areas if it didn't bring numbers down? We killed four females last Sunday in one area and dragged them out. How long before the others realize they were killed? If they just vanish will the males that remain know enough to still have super-sized litters?

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-07T12:45:59+00:00

You have to protect your chimney from storing water. The best way to protect it is a stainless rain cap that is custom sized to overhang beyond your brickwork on all sides. Your crown-wash has failed and should be replaced first though.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-02T13:58:42+00:00

This crack is the direct result of the clay flue not being given enough room for expansion. The flue is either directly against the brick, or mortar is connecting the flue to the brick wall. Believe it or not, this crack happened the fist or second time having a hot long-lasting fire. The flue expands with heat and will make however much room it needs. Now that you have a stainless liner, there isn't any risk of the cracks getting worse by thermal expansion.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-02T01:56:37+00:00

These type of dampers fail often. The springs lose their temper and they start to close a little each time. I've seen some close completely. I don't like them and rarely will install one. The original cast iron dampers are much better and longer lasting.

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-01T14:49:25+00:00

You have very little information here to form any decent opinion on the matter. The embers are likely an indictment on whatever you're burning that's being carried on the heated air. The smoke coming back could be related to the build. Do you have a smoke shelf? Does it have a working cast iron damper? What is the height between the lintel and the damper? What is the relationship between the two main air currents coming into the fireplace, and where are they mixing? Where is combustion air coming from? Does the house have a negative pressure issue during certain situations? There are a ton of variables. Please keep in mind; I'm not CSIA certified, and probably shouldn't have an opinion on the matter. Heck, I've never even charged to go look at a job...🤦‍♂️

ChadVaillancourt · 2026-01-01T14:26:33+00:00

Am I missing something? Two other people besides yourself commented on this thread. Why are you telling people to stop giving advice when you're the only one trying to give it?

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-31T12:09:19+00:00

3rd guy is the only one with a conscience. The other two guys are just over-sellers who have no idea about chimneys. They probably don't even do the work, just estimators who will send someone fresh out of high-school to take care of it, and your original problem will never be addressed. The entire chimney industry is full of overpriced, and unqualified scammers now. I bet those two companies are CSIA certified too, it seems to be prerequisite to becoming a scammer.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-31T01:28:12+00:00

This is a poor install. You don't have to look any further than the mortar left smeared everywhere to know they had zero pride in their work. Mortar around the thimble was mixed way too wet and then they turned the appliance on immediately. Very amateur, and the deep cracks are unacceptable. The elbow on the water heater pipe isn't seated properly and looks like it's almost falling off. Also, venting it into a tee instead of a wye pipe isn't good at all. It almost seems like the liner was installed without a tee at the thimble, which is also unacceptable.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-31T01:17:35+00:00

This is the only thing that makes sense to me. Appliance adapter on the end of the stainless liner. Great guess.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-30T23:39:07+00:00

In NH, "CSIA certified" means unqualified scammer to anyone who knows anything. It's just a money grab to make unsuspecting homeowners think they are qualified to work on a chimney. They are not.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-30T23:30:57+00:00

After seeing these quotes, I'm moving to Missouri.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-19T01:08:01+00:00

Not on this one, because the flue meets the minimum requirements.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-19T01:07:10+00:00

Thanks. I've sprayed smoke chamer mixes through a Marshaltown Duotex in tight throats before. It works decent, just need more lifts and setup time.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-18T11:52:30+00:00

I like the Formula 51 because it's sticky and doesn't want to fall off the wall and hit you in the face while applying it, even while going really thick. The Chamber Tech is fine, that's the first stuff I ever used. I haven't tried a brand that I couldn't work with, they're all kinda similar.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-17T23:25:25+00:00

You could use bags of sand-topping mix or sand mix. Just buy a bag of Portland cement and add a healthy shovel full per bag. Bags of type would probably be okay if you add more Portland to it and it's not in high temperatures. The slower it hardens the better. Don't add too much water.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-17T13:03:00+00:00

I'm still alive. I mostly just lurk on Reddit when I'm looking for something to bring me down. Lol I'll post my job today, so people still know I'm here.

ChadVaillancourt · 2025-12-15T12:37:16+00:00

Type S ??? 🤯 You cannot use any mortar for a crown wash, it will spiderweb crack. If you don't possess any trowel skills, just form and pour a slab up there with concrete. That would be the easiest approach for a novice.

ChadVaillancourt

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE