The concrete has hardened nicely overnight, so the crown forms are removed. The concrete crown overhangs the edge of the chimney by about 2 inches. There is a drip edge that causes water to drip to the roof, rather than running down the chimney exterior.
The furnace flue gets a Whitecaps clamp cap. These caps clamp securely to the flue tile and carry a lifetime guarantee. Note also the bead of silicone around the flue tile that seals the expansion joint from water entry.
The fireplace flue is covered with an IceBreaker Top Sealing Damper Cap from RMR. This cap has an integrated damper that is spring loaded to the top of the cap.
A stainless steel cable runs from the damper cap to a bracket in the firebox. A cable sleeve protects the cable and the Supaflu liner from abrasion where the cable contacts the flue.
Pulling down on the cable and slotting the chain in the keyhole slot closes the damper. That sounds a lot more complicated than it really is. This sort of damper makes it very easy to see whether the damper is in the open or closed position.
With the glass doors back in place, you can't tell anything was done to the fireplace.
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The final day was not really a whole day’s worth of work.
We removed the crown forms and finished the crown. This involved smoothing the edges of the concrete and cutting down the foam that’s wrapped around the flue tiles. The concrete was coated with an acrylic sealant to hold in moisture and allow the concrete to cure properly. The expansion joints around the flue tiles were sealed with silicone to prevent water penetration.
Stainless steel chimney caps were installed. The furnace flue was capped with a Whitecaps 9×13 clamp cap, and the fireplace flue was covered by a top sealing IceBreaker damper from RMR. The IceBreaker damper allows the flue to be closed to limit energy loss. Putting the damper at the top of the flue avoids any obstructions in the flue and allows for a smooth, streamlined, seamless conduit from the lintel of the fireplace to the top of the chimney.
The damper is controlled by a stainless steel cable that runs through the flue. It attaches to a bracket in the firebox. After the bracket was attached, we vacuumed out the firebox and replaced the ash dump door and the glass doors. The fireplace now appears to be no different than when we started, but its venting system is much more efficient and worry-free.
