Supaflu Day 4

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.