HarryH3
join:2005-02-21
Georgetown, TX
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to dennismurphy
Re: Weil-McLain Ultra series boilers
Before you spend a lot of money on anything, google "chimney sweep scam" and learn... It seems that many less-reputable chimney sweeps have found that it's very easy to scare people into forking over 5 grand. Your chimney may really have problems, but be 100% certain before handing over your hard earned cash.  |
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dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ
 ·Optimum Online
| said by HarryH3  :Before you spend a lot of money on anything, google "chimney sweep scam" and learn... It seems that many less-reputable chimney sweeps have found that it's very easy to scare people into forking over 5 grand. Your chimney may really have problems, but be 100% certain before handing over your hard earned cash. 100% agreed. I've had this particular company cleaning the chimney for several years now, and they've been warning me that it's getting worse. This time, they lowered a camera into the chimney and showed me the pictures live.
No scam about it - the tile's definitely deteriorated beyond repair. We're missing about 5 feet of tile at the top, there's several chunks missing mid-length, lots of cracks, it's pretty bad. You can actually see pieces of tile at the bottom of the chimney. :-(
You can also see the bricks pulling apart at the top - the exposed section of the chimney needs to be torn down and rebuilt.
The big cost comes in the work to remove the existing liner. The tile doesn't leave enough room to run a stainless steel liner - it *has* to be removed. That's what makes the cost balloon so quickly.
So, yeah, I can probably find a company that will run an undersized liner, or do the work for less, but I'm not interested in a half-assed job. I'd rather spend a few bucks more and get it done right ...
... and if doing it right is converting to an HE boiler, then so be it. |
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HarryH3
join:2005-02-21
Georgetown, TX
·Verizon Online DSL
| Cool, and a bummer at the same time.  When it's really broken, you don't have much of a choice. I hate to see people waste money on things that don't need fixed though. Five grand is a big chunk of change, but when you're getting something that you really need, at least the expense can be justified.
We had a HE gas boiler for heat years ago when we lived in Mass. It was about the size of a suitcase, yet kept 1500 sf toasty warm, even when it was near zero outside. I'm sure that the efficiencies have improved since then so you should see some good savings with a HE unit today. |
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dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ
·Optimum Online
| said by HarryH3 :Cool, and a bummer at the same time. When it's really broken, you don't have much of a choice. I hate to see people waste money on things that don't need fixed though. Five grand is a big chunk of change, but when you're getting something that you really need, at least the expense can be justified. We had a HE gas boiler for heat years ago when we lived in Mass. It was about the size of a suitcase, yet kept 1500 sf toasty warm, even when it was near zero outside. I'm sure that the efficiencies have improved since then so you should see some good savings with a HE unit today. Here are the guys who did the chimney inspection: Elite Chimney. I can't recommend them highly enough -- very professional, and they know their business. Definitely not a shady fly-by-night operation.
I'll scan and post the actual report when I get a few minutes - it's very thorough ... |
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Bobcat
Premium
join:2001-02-04
Bedminster, NJ
·Verizon Online DSL
1 edit | said by dennismurphy :Here are the guys who did the chimney inspection: Elite Chimney. I can't recommend them highly enough -- very professional, and they know their business. Definitely not a shady fly-by-night operation. Thanks for the link. I've got a couple chimney caps that need to be replaced. Their design allows birds to get between the two concentric walls of the metal flue. |
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