Chimney repair questions

[Nomad]

So I saw my crown was cracking and had it looked at, so far only one company, but I’ll get other estimates. They took much better pictures then these that I did , they said bricks have hairline cracks , some scaling ,they recommend a rebuild the top X number of courses or better yet from lower roof on up .

Now since our furnace and water heater vent into it and that’s a source of moisture they want to run a pipe of some sort up,the flue of course the vent pipes are not code and they need to switch them to B vent ? 
 

Didn’t get the quote yet, but in talking to them they said ballpark $2500 just for lining the flue , idk , things cost money today but that seemed high  ,  I have zero experience here . 
 

Anyone knowledgeable , or who had this work done I’d appreciate any input .

Thanks 

Edited October 23, 2021 by Nomad

[stubborn1VT]

We had our entire chimney rebuilt with a 6" liner for not much more than that.  This was done by a friend's father, for cash.  I do know that any kind of stainless stovepipe/liner has gone up incredibly in the past year or two.  Seems high to me too.  Good luck getting other estimates.  

[Paula]

It's my understanding B vent is not out of the chimney. I need mine replaced and it's cinder blocks not brick. The last quote I got was $4,500 that is to remove the debris and put up a new one. I chose to go the route of new furnace and hot water tank and B vent. 

I think $2500 to repair and bring you up to code doesn't seem bad. 

[Nomad]

$2500, is the liner on one side of chimney  for furnace and water heater , that’s not including the rebuild of the chimney  . The B vent replaces the single wall vent pipe running from the appliances to base of chimney where it would tie into the new liner .

Another way would be to go new furnace and water heater ,direct vent outside , saving the $2500, part of the chimney repair, our furnace is from the 80s, yet every heating guy that sees it says that one lasts forever .

There’s another outfit here my chimney sweep friend recommend, they do all,sorts of repairs to,match a persons needs and budgets . 

[Moho81]

Dang I was going to say if your furnace was new enough just abandon the chimney all together and vent out the side of the house.

A new furnace with install will cost at least $2,500 and you will still have the chimney to deal with in the future.

I’m not a big fan of replacing old appliances with new when the old is working just fine.


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[Bigfoot 327]

If your furnace is that old I would take a hard look at it's efficiency. Some years ago I replaced a 25 year old fuel oil furnace with high efficiency propane furnace (no NG lines in that area). The old furnace was maybe 65% efficient and the new one was 97% efficient. I also replaced an ancient propane hot water heater with a high efficiency one. My fuel costs went from $4K annually to $1.7K per year. To be fair, these changes were not done in a vacuum. I added insulation, upgraded a few windows, and changed fuel vendors. And yes, I torn down the 60 year old chimney.

[Paula]

1 hour ago, Moho81 said:

Dang I was going to say if your furnace was new enough just abandon the chimney all together and vent out the side of the house.

A new furnace with install will cost at least $2,500 and you will still have the chimney to deal with in the future.

I’m not a big fan of replacing old appliances with new when the old is working just fine.


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That's why Im going with new. 

I didn't realize that you still had another cost for the repair of the chimney. Your furnace might last forever but if it's an 80% you can get a much more efficient one. 

I always have such a hard time making decisions when it comes to spending money. LOL

[Lawdwaz]

2 hours ago, Nomad said:

$2500, is the liner on one side of chimney  for furnace and water heater , that’s not including the rebuild of the chimney  . The B vent replaces the single wall vent pipe running from the appliances to base of chimney where it would tie into the new liner .

Another way would be to go new furnace and water heater ,direct vent outside , saving the $2500, part of the chimney repair, our furnace is from the 80s, yet every heating guy that sees it says that one lasts forever .

There’s another outfit here my chimney sweep friend recommend, they do all,sorts of repairs to,match a persons needs and budgets . 

The other thing to consider with a Smithsonian'ish furnace is reliability while you & the Mrs are sipping mai tai cocktails on the beach and we're in the midst of an epic ice storm/blizzard/locust infestation.  Oh and all the new furnaces are stuck in a LA port!!

Get a new piece of iron for the basement, repair the chimney and you might as well replace the old a/c too.  

You DO know when the old furnace is going to go out don't you?    November 20th at 2:30am.........

[Judoka95]

If your furnace is older I would agree with those who recommend looking at a new direct vent. I replaced my old oil furnace two years ago with a high efficiency propane. E&V did the install and financing. Payment is $125 per month but I'm saving about $200 per month in fuel cost during the winter.

[Nomad]

Thanks everyone . Some good points , save the $2500 put it toward dv furnace is looking like something I’d do ,then just repair the chimney . Really interested in the guy who has cheaper methods that hold up .

[SteveB]

From the pics, it looks like repointing and not rebuilding is an option. Also b-vent is not needed inside a masonry chimney - a properly sized aluminum liner is all that  is needed.

[Lawdwaz]

It’s a nice looking chimney, I’d do what it takes to protect its integrity.  
 

I bet you (Larry) saw some real beauties in the FF business.  

[Nomad]

2 hours ago, Lawdwaz said:

It’s a nice looking chimney, I’d do what it takes to protect its integrity.  
 

I bet you (Larry) saw some real beauties in the FF business.  

One killed a FF in Syracuse a number of years back , ya we never trusted them .

Im leaning towards DV appliances, so no liner ,just chimney repair , your thoughts on it,going while we’re away made since , it is old .

Oh and My future son in law being in the tin knockers Union , can get them wholesale ….. that kid may  be alright , I may even let him hunt my spot .

[Nomad]

Ha, my estimates range from $13,400 to $1900 …….. From a compete tear down and rebuild to a new reinforced crown , re point , elastomeric sealing of the small cracks .

That guy has all five star ratings and is the guy recommend by my chimney sweep friend . 

[Moho81]

Even going with direct vent and not needed the chimney anymore I'd still recommend repairing and keeping it. Reason being is if you remove it now you have to deal with matching siding, facia and roof shingles. That's not an easy task and well probably cost more than the chimney repair anyways. 

[BowmanMike]

I work on chimneys all the time and I will say this. They deteriorate very slowly,so you are not in a rush to fix it. 2500 for one liner is steep in my mind,the access looks easy on your chimney and the liner is under $1000. It is a piece of cake to put one in with two people in not even a full day.

As far as the cap and bricks go that is very hard to judge from pictures.  A new concrete  cap alone would be over $1000. Sealing the cracks is a stop gap measure,literally,but can last 5 to 10 years. It looks like the chimney was well built in the first place,a lot of them don't have the concrete cap with overhang. 

[BowmanMike]

Also,if you have part of it taken down and rebuild you always have to consider that you will put a new chimney on old bricks if you dont go all the way to the covered bricks. It is really hard to know how well the lower bricks will hold up long term and you could run into trouble down the road. Hardest thing sometimes is to decide where to stop,but generally the bricks inside the building envelope are fine.

[Nomad]

The rebuild was going to the lower roof line .

Also yes keeping the chimney either way as there’s a gas insert in the fireplace that we use . That side was sleeved when it was installed , the estimate came in $13,400 , the sleeve and B vent was $1700 of that , $2500 was a ballpark number he told me at the time .

im going with new crown ,repoint and seal, we can see how that goes and in a few years decide any further steps or move ….

Thanks everyone .

[Nomad]

 Update :  New high efficiency furnace with humidifier  , central air, new thermostat, chimney sleeved . $7700  all in ,well I also gave the guy two boxes of ammo .

[Lawdwaz]

55 minutes ago, Nomad said:

 Update :  New high efficiency furnace with humidifier  , central air, new thermostat, chimney sleeved . $7700  all in ,well I also gave the guy two boxes of ammo .

What’s you have to do; dig up one or two Mason jars in the backyard?

[Nomad]

34 minutes ago, Lawdwaz said:

What’s you have to do; dig up one or two Mason jars in the backyard?

Coffee can.

This is a cash side job . When I asked how he wanted to be paid, personal check, bank check or cash , he said cash is best. I told him I’d dig up a coffee can lol .this one held my communion money …..

[Lawdwaz]

Painful…….but sometimes you must dig.   

[Paula]

That's a good price.  I just upgraded and also added central air. February I am will be doing 3 basement block windows. 

[Nomad]

Thanks Paula , it’s a very good price, a few grand less then the guys with fleets of vans and tv commercials . Took all the old stuff ,didn’t leave as much as a cardboard box .