The Historic District

Merry Christmas!

DRJR, I see what you are saying that when actually considering it, not much rain goes down our chimney pots, just like not much rain goes down our open stack vents. Even if we got an inch of rain and it managed to fall straight down, if the chimney pot opening were 6" in diameter, it would be ...

Phil, Thanks for the thoughts. The photos are from January of last year and the flashing on this chimney is now stepped and 8" tall. The only photos I have of it now are from the ground. I'm pretty sure the pots are mortared in place and don't come off easily, which also suggests that there mu...

Plastic hawk will work. So will a plastic owl. Shiny tassels work well.

Other things that work. Loud noises, and shot guns. The neighbors might not appreciate this part.

A quick followup on the Wadsworth house.

It didn't sell. The auction bids came in to low. So it will be in their family for awhile longer.

Always wet the bricks when you do your repairs. If you don't the cement (mortar) will set to quickly and crack. Most of the time it will just fall apart. Give it a couple of days to fully set up. Longer is better.

You would be surprised as to what can be found on the smoke shelf. Mostly soot/ creosote. But not limited to critters, bird nest, flue parts and tree branches. This is why its very important to thoroughly check the entire chimney before using it each season. I would fix the bricks. Trying to jamb so...

There is no reason to have any door in that area. Its just a architectural design.

I have electric on demand hot water here at the Rotten Ranch. Works great, 10 years trouble free.
No more running out of hot water from the leaky old hot water tank.

Now to use this set up to heat a house, I can't say how it would work. I would look for other options myself.

Clean the chimney on a regular basis. Burn seasoned wood.

Green wood and cold fires will build creosote fast. Try to avoid that.