How to put a really strong cap on a chimney: DIY flaunching / benching
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- In which, I attempt to re cap the concrete benching or flaunching on my chimney!
I used a latex solution in the concrete for adhesion and waterproofing:
Everbuild SBR Bond 503, search for it in my amazon store below.
Here is a video showing the leaks:
• Just splendid! My chim...
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Thanks for making a great video which informed me and gave me the confidence to cast my own cap - 5 years of damp resolved! Your method of forming the wood to hold concrete was great and I added a ratchet strap around the wooden form work.
I did this shortly before the video was published, it has worked great since, and if I had to go up there and do it again I would probably just do the same thing.
I'm about to tackle my 100 year old chimney. The stack has two openings but has never had any chimney pots which I'm going to fit. Been looking at lots of videos, but have found this one really useful from the laymans perspective.
Good luck!
Owen, it's great to take things as far as you can, applying practical knowledge, cheers
And make it up as I go along
Thats a genius way to form a drip edge both simple and if an edge gets chipped later it won’t affect it because the whole underside is down hill 👍
A scutch chisel, my favourite (with the comb insert).
I've got my chimney to sort out but not enthused at the prospect.
A neighbouring house threw out an old original fireplace with surround (solid mahogany) which I rescued from the skip.
Will be nice to reinstate the surround and fit new log burner within.
I've used an SDS drill in chisel mode to act as a rudimentary vibrator for getting the air out. Cheapo orbital sander (square type) works well too.
Hi Ian. I had intended to give the shutters a shake with something electrical but in the end I quit and had to get dinner made. So it goes. I have seen a jigsaw and sawzall used without a blade to shake shutters as well.
Good news on the finds. Giving anything a second life is a good job! As for your chimney: if you can pay someone to put up good safe scaffolding you can do the job very comfortably.
I added polypropylene fibers to the mortar mix to help resist cracking and allow a stronger mix
Did you cut up rope or buy the fibres with the flattened ends? I used some mesh.
You did a cracking job there mate. It can blow a hooley and rain as much as it wants thats going no where.
Lets face it with these high winds that we are subjected to every winter our roofs and chimneys need all the help they can get.
That pointing on the flashing was poor the mix looked way too sandy the leadmate looks a much better job.
For vibrating your form work try one of those cheap half sheet electric sanders they work a treat for that.
Thanks Simon. I think the old pointing on the lead was an apprentice special. My capping does not look like the vernacular in my area. But most of the chimneys have been cut down or removed. There was only the smallest drip into the loft in the worst windy wet weather but no leaks are better. This can only help. As for vibrating it. I had planned on it but when the time came I had to collect kids and cook dinner. I have seen a sawzall, jigsaw with no blade and the sander. A neighbour showed me a new makita tool for their battery range with a vibrating poker. Either way I didn’t. There is so much latex in that concrete that I can’t imagine much moisture getting through it
Good views from up there, stay safe mate
Thanks, you too!
Great video and great job ! The one extra thing you could have done, while the expensive scaffolding was up, was coat the chimney crown and stack with a quality masonry protection cream -- like Climashield or Stormdry -- to protect against penetrating damp, for 25+ years. It was this that stopped the internal damp from around my chimney breast (the flashing was fine.). Bricks, esp old bricks, & mortar, are really quite porous ........not least with incessant rain and persistent high winds (i.e. UK winter/spring nowadays!) !!
Hi, the top of this chimney has been rebuilt in engineering brick, so I don't think that any waterproofer is necessary. Generally, I am against waterproofers on older masonry, if the masonry is getting constantly soaked then remove the water. Older masonry can absorb water and then expel it through evaporation, and moisture can mover from the inside of the house to outside. A waterproofer will stop moisture getting out. I guess they will say that it is breathable, I haven't used it.
@@bootsowen My chimney (& house) is built using engineering bricks and the chimney had also been repointed and had the lead flashing redone. The house is 117 years old and the bricks had become horrendously porous. During the incessant rain of the winters we now get, I was experiencing penetrating damp from the chimney and rear (SW facing) of the house. What stopped this penetrating damp completely, was the application of a thick coat of Climashield Masonry Protection Cream onto the chimney and rear of the house. The product doesn't stop moisture from getting out of masonry (it's "breathable") but it significantly reduces waters ability to get in. The product also dries to an invisible finish so the appearance of the house hasn't been altered in waterproofing it. Years ago, my chimney/house would have been able to absorb some water and then dry out during drier periods while not displaying damaging internal damp patches. However, climate change and the longer wetter winters (& old bricks) have meant the brickwork required additional protection to prevent water ingress. For me, the Masonry Protection Cream was necessary and worked brilliantly at keeping the water out and preventing water damage to the inside of my house.
thanks for doing that video I that is really helpful 😂
This is not a chimney cap young man , firstly it's an old chimney was never lined inside which was just as well because that cap wouldn't keep out a fog . The brickwork was lowered over time and is much older than you think. They were originally built for open fires which helped to keep them warm and dry ie no frost, frost will kill the cement. The roof and lead work were renewed which looks fine, flashing a bit skimpy around corners. Probably should have pulled up the counter flashing to c if the brickwork was wet underneath. Cracked brick should be removed it will cause the rest of the corner to crack eventually. Make sure you put rain and bird deterrents on the pots. Don't forget to tank that cap with a rubber based waterproof slurry before the scaffolding is taken down .
What’s a chimney cap old man?
Well done on the repair! Did u buy scaffolding or hire a contractor in to put it up? Was it expensive?
I got a scaffolding contractor to put it up. £1000. It made sense to pay because I had about 5 or more jobs to do at height. More videos of jobs on the way!
Out of interest when concreting around the pots did you allow for an expansion gap ? If a chimney is used for an open fire the pot can get hot and sometimes crack if cemented in.
I’m not worried about it. If it cracks I’ll be the person who has to repair it so I’ll take my chances.
@@bootsowen you can't leave a gap anyway. Water would get into it. Big no no. Water getting in is the main one to avoid. The pots are clay fired in pottery ovens, they're not going to be pulsing with a little bit of hot and cold from a log fire. If that really did happen there would be cracked pots on every chimney that was used for heat and that's just not the case. I think if you have seen cracked pots the causes were different.
@@johnalperton149 you leave the gap and then seal it with something that doesn't harden over time, like polyurethane based caulk
WOW super looking job.
Thanks 👍
Great video. Now can you show us how to install your own lightning conductor. 😉😉
I’m no Fred dibnah!! Houses wouldn’t typically have them round our way.
@@bootsowen Ah this is true. Enjoying your channel. 👍
Was you drinking when you poured that concrete.
Should of just key'd it up and done it by hand. Less smudge😂
How is this holding up, du think having a drip grove under would of been useful, belts and braces wise
while it doesn't have a drip groove, the edge is lower than the bricks so it has a drip at the extremity. water can't go uphill. it has lasted.
Was it a success?
Yes. No issues since. Dried out straight away and no damp since.
Please be careful
how come pots don't have any caps?
They don't need caps.
What county?
Why?
Hello
The drip can be made with sash chord in the box. ;0)
I thought about that and I have used cord for windowsill drip edges in the past. I couldn’t figure out how to do the corners if I was using sash cord or rope. How would you detail it.
@@bootsowen wooden mouldings are the best thing as they're nice and straight. Get them from that funny rack in the DIY shop where they have all the different shapes for you to look at. No problem with corners, do a mitre joint. The strips can be nailed down to the bottom board with panel pins.
What a tuttle
?
𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙢 😝
a
How can people say that's a good job!! It looks terrible!! If the chimney is leaking try caps on your pots to start with!! And don't start me on the sealant😂😂
So how would you do it Matthew? You are all critical but no help to anyone
@bootsowen the cracks in your mortar work are a problem and will get worse, so yes it did need re pointing. You are correct in that the flashing needed sealing, but sorry your finish leaves a lot to be desired, wet your finger and smooth over or even use masking to get a clean finish. Not saying it will leak but have some pride in your work! The flanching will fail. Whilst the boxing in worked, If you'd have made it to the finish height you could have then just filled it to the top and it would be level and even. The bond coat is a good idea, however you really needed to use proper rebar as the weak area is the overhang. And a small slither of timber would create a nice clean drip if put In bottom of the mould. Also it will be full of voids and air pockets as your concrete wasn't wet enough so vibrating it would do nothing. Did you add waterproofer to the mix? Evermix do a good one.And if your getting drips? Put the correct caps on your pots (depends on if still in use), C caps are good if not in use and easy to fit, if not you can get cowls which slow water ingess. Sorry for sounding rude but I'm sick of scruffy work being excepted as the norm!! It's not!! If it's your own house then only you have to look at it. But there are also so called tradesmen doing the same, and people shouldn't be excepting it. Take pride in what you do and do it right!!
Maybe I wasn’t as clear as I could have been in the video. The bottom of the shuttering was tapered to the edge so the tip of the flaunching is a drip. And if any of it should break off partway then the soffit will still fall away from the chimney. The pointing had cracks but it was sound. Not falling out except where the lead flashing was fitted. So I didn’t see any point in cutting out the pointing (it wouldn’t take out). I don’t think the pointing was leaking. I wanted the capping to fall away from each pot so that is why it is not constant thickness. The mix has loads of latex in it so it should be waterproof according to the bottle. The top was painted with a latex slurry too. As for voids and air pockets maybe. And as for finish of sealant: it’s my house. I’m not fussy about finishes and prefer solid which I think this is. The chimneys have all got either vent caps or stainless cowls now so that should keep water out of the inside. After one winter there has been no moisture ingress so I’m happy with it. I wonder what your profession is that shoddy workmanship affects you so?
@@bootsowen I'm doing a similar job myself but I read you should not seal concrete if you want it to perform well. Cannot remember the reason, something to do with controlling moisture. There's a guy on RUclips who is mad about concrete and goes into the full science of it all. What a lot of people say is that you should have a DPC under your chimney flaunching because you don't want water getting into your brickwork.
I've remembered the reason you don't seal it. There's some saying in the concrete industry that all concrete cracks. So your aim should be to control how the cracks form. You should use a plasticiser in the mix, sharp sand, 0.4 parts water to cement - I found this tough to control so just went with what seemed okay. When freezing gets to the concrete you get ice crystals forming inside it. If the ice crystals start joining up and becoming big ice crystals that's when you start getting big cracks and chunks of concrete start separating.