Odd Chimney Cap

This house was built in the 1950's. I've never seen a cap quite like this one. It's all concrete on top with this metal frame around the outside edges,designed to keep the water from over flowing and running down the chimney randomly but rather come out the two pipes and onto the roof in behind the chimney.

The chimney goes all the way down into the basement where it has a square opening for emptying out the ashes. The ash bin is completely full of nasty stagnant water. There is some type of plant growing out of the left clay stack on top of the chimney. :laugh: And there are two pretty large cracks in the brick mortar at the very top of the chimney. One on front and one in back on the roof side.

The chimney is 4 sides brick all the way from the basement floor to the top. I told the client that I can't guarantee there isn't a leak underground but a good place to start would be to install a new cap covering the entire top of the chimney since they have long since converted to ventless gas logs and do not intend to ever burn wood again. And also repair the cracked brick mortar.

It's pretty high in the air but accessible by ladder. Anyone ever ran into anything like this before?

I've been on the roof when birds came flying up out of the chimney and also when a squirrel came crawling out. One time I was installing the bird/squirrel cage when a bird came up and hit his head on the bottom side of it. I had to take it back off, let the bird escape and then put it back on. :laugh:

Question for copperman. If flues were never covered before, because of updraft and apparently no probs. why now?

That's some nice work copperman. I only had a 24 ft. ladder with me when I went to look at this one and I got the job on the spot. It was a referral. I'm going to have to go back out with a bigger ladder and a helper just to get the right measurement for the new cap. Will be installing stainless steel with no openings in the top. Pretty much shutting this one down. Doing the masonry work as well.

I make these things all the time. This ones a strange one for sure. Looks like it could pond water if the pipes get clogged. They also did not cover the flues with metal The second one , the chimney was rebuilt 3 times by masons and still leaked. I took off all the lick and stick stone and installed the wood shingles and copper top. two years latter not a single leak after leaking for 15 years.