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torquill...or something will, anyway.
I threw on ratty clothes quickly today so that I could assist my dad in climbing onto the roof to examine the chimney to the living-room fireplace. Then I cleaned out the fireplace itself and climbed in, in an attempt to pull some of the dead leaves off the ledge of the baffle. I didn't manage that, but I did brush a lot of soot off the top and back of the fireplace. (I wore a mask; no dying of Black Lung Disease for me.)
The upshot is that it all seems to be in fine shape. The ceramic liner is uncracked and firmly mortared; the brick portion below the liner is solid; there's no appreciable soot buildup in the chimney; the fireplace itself is fine, and the baffle looks good from top and bottom. Some of the outside mortar has crumbled a little, and needs to be replaced for the sake of the bricks, but it's not a structural issue. It's solidly built, and weathered Loma Prieta quite well.
I scrubbed the screen, so that will hopefully be okay. We can start up a fire in it this evening to give it a test -- I'm sure there will be a terrific smell of hot dust as the exchanger warms up, but there's no way to clean those vents without demolishing a little bit of the arch to the dining room, since it was plastered so close to the vent grates on one side.
The living room looks wonderful with all that space, lit up by several lamps and the glitter of the tree. The family-room fireplace has the greens along the mantel, and a couple of stockings, and I hung some christmas lights along the windows... that kind of makes up for having the tree in the living room this year. I've always missed having the tree in here, though.
It looks like it's going to be a wonderful holiday.
I threw on ratty clothes quickly today so that I could assist my dad in climbing onto the roof to examine the chimney to the living-room fireplace. Then I cleaned out the fireplace itself and climbed in, in an attempt to pull some of the dead leaves off the ledge of the baffle. I didn't manage that, but I did brush a lot of soot off the top and back of the fireplace. (I wore a mask; no dying of Black Lung Disease for me.)
The upshot is that it all seems to be in fine shape. The ceramic liner is uncracked and firmly mortared; the brick portion below the liner is solid; there's no appreciable soot buildup in the chimney; the fireplace itself is fine, and the baffle looks good from top and bottom. Some of the outside mortar has crumbled a little, and needs to be replaced for the sake of the bricks, but it's not a structural issue. It's solidly built, and weathered Loma Prieta quite well.
I scrubbed the screen, so that will hopefully be okay. We can start up a fire in it this evening to give it a test -- I'm sure there will be a terrific smell of hot dust as the exchanger warms up, but there's no way to clean those vents without demolishing a little bit of the arch to the dining room, since it was plastered so close to the vent grates on one side.
The living room looks wonderful with all that space, lit up by several lamps and the glitter of the tree. The family-room fireplace has the greens along the mantel, and a couple of stockings, and I hung some christmas lights along the windows... that kind of makes up for having the tree in the living room this year. I've always missed having the tree in here, though.
It looks like it's going to be a wonderful holiday.
