Repair Chimney + side of house wood ??

meanwhile · #1 09/14/10, 07:27 AM

Last spring a Bat family somehow got into one small section of house wall. They moved out after I inserted Peppermint Oil Extract into the boards on side of house. I cannot find where, how they got in the wall! It is a section of wall directly beside our Chimney. I cannot see back behind the chimney where the wood and chimney stones meet. I did think there was a larger gap at the top of the chimney - where the roof wood meets the stone - and I did put mortar in that area.

There is a 1 to 3 inch gap in between the stone of chimney and where the house is......I cannot see back there. What can I stuff in that gap to be sure nothing is going to be able to get back in there and somehow get in the house wall?

We did not have any animals inside the house, only in the one wall section. We did try to open that section of wall - but when I pulled off the board & batton, there is solid insulation, then the plywood on side of house......and so I did not tear that up further. I just closed it back up.

Regular Caulk? But since I want to seal the whole thing -- it is two stories high - and then I thought about "great stuff" but I hate that stuff.....and besides that, it would show and be ugly.....and since it is up against the chimney then I was not sure I could use regular caulk there?

Thank you for ideas.

PS: For those of you who know I have workmen out here for the past three months: Yes, I did ask the Contractor and I asked the Stone Mason and I asked the Block men and I asked the Roofer and ......mostly they said "I dun no".....some of them scratched their heads and said "huh?"......One of the Carpenters suggested I put up chicken wire and stuff wire all in the holes......."just keep on a'shovin it in thar" he said.

**Cabin Fever** · #2 09/14/10, 07:48 AM

I cannot fully envision what you are describing, but if the gap between the stone chimney and house is on the outside, I'd stuff chickenwire between the house and chimney all along the edge of the chimney. Then, I'd make up some thick mortar mix and coat the chicken wire with the mortar.

TnAndy · #3 09/14/10, 08:04 AM

Personally, I'd welcome the bats. They eat a HECK of a lot of mosquitoes.

Allen W · #4 09/14/10, 08:43 AM

Several good threads on bat exclusion here at the Trapperman ADC forum http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbt...stlist/Board/3. A lot of exclusion products can be found by clicking on the WCS banner at the top of the page.

meanwhile · #5 09/14/10, 08:51 AM

Cabin Fever:
Yes, the gap in between the Chimney and the house is on the Outside of the house. The Chimney is huge - very wide and two stories tall. It holds three separate sections for three different wood heat places (two wood stove plus one fireplace)

In any case - the Chimney meets the house wood but there is a Gap about 1 to 3 inches and I cannot see back there to see if any house wood is rotten or broken. When I asked the Chimney man about it, he said he did not know!

I am not sure I can get wire in the crack. It is very small in parts. The widest part is only about 3 inches wide.

Would it be OK to just cram and stuff motar back there? Is there such a thing as motar in a tube....like caulk but mortar?

TnAndy - yes we do like the Bats but I don't want them in the walls of the house! We are building Bat Boxes and placing them nearby in hopes the bats will move to the Boxes.

Thank you for the link Allen W / will take a look there too

**Cabin Fever** · #6 09/14/10, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meanwhile

In any case - the Chimney meets the house wood but there is a Gap about 1 to 3 inches and I cannot see back there to see if any house wood is rotten or broken. When I asked the Chimney man about it, he said he did not know!

I am not sure I can get wire in the crack. It is very small in parts. The widest part is only about 3 inches wide.

Would it be OK to just cram and stuff motar back there? Is there such a thing as motar in a tube....like caulk but mortar?....

I've done this very thing without the chicken wire when I put up an outdoor block chimney at another house. The gap was only about 1/2". After a few years some of the mortar fell off, so the chicken wire will definitely help hold the mortar in place and help prevent it from cracking.

Not sure about mortar in a tube....I doubt it. I would recommend a mortar with fiberglass-reinforcement strands that are already incorporated into the mix....or perhaps a reinforced stucco mix. This should be available in most building centers in premixed 80# bags....just add water.

RebelDigger · #7 09/14/10, 11:47 AM

Lead flashing. Plyable enough to mold it to fit the roughness of the chimney and with a 90 degree angle so it will also mold to the profile of the house and seal well. Once you get it bent into the right shape, F-26 the heck out of it and smack it on. Lead is super soft so all you need is a hammer to work it and it will contour to any shape you need to fit the chimney and house.

meanwhile · #8 09/14/10, 11:59 AM

Thank you everyone. I think I will stick to the mortar mix since lead might flake off or do something weird with the heat of the chimney. I have young sons and I would worry about the lead - but good idea.

Thanks -

Bearfootfarm · #9 09/14/10, 01:41 PM

Quote:

lead might flake off or do something weird with the heat of the chimney

If the chimney gets hot enough to affect the lead, your house is ON FIRE!

I'd at least put flashing at the top to keep water from flowing behind the chimney

NorthCountryWd · #10 09/14/10, 02:30 PM

I've been told bats only need like a 1/4 inch gap to get in.

I like the chicken wire/mortar idea. I had we had a spot on the eaves where two roofs met and the fascia board had separated enough for them to get in the attic. Every few months we'd wake up to a bat flying around the house. Finally pulled all the siding, fascia, soffit and roof to install new stuff and still really couldn't figure out how they were getting in. Ended up foaming and caulking every gap/crack/sliver I could find. No bats since.

meanwhile · #11 09/14/10, 03:30 PM

I looked at it again and it might not even be 3 inches wide. I cannot get my finger in the crack at most places. I can only get a pinky finger in a few areas. I think I will mix up the mortar with the fiber reinforcement in it and just start at the bottom and cram / stuff it in the crack. At the top there is a good flashing since we just had a whole new roof put on. I better check that though just to be sure.

Thank you

Curtis B · #12 09/14/10, 04:33 PM

Expansion joint caulking. It is similar to what you would use any time you butt up concrete to another surface. There are two types, self leveling and non sag. Get some backer rod (round strips of foam) and shove it in. Caulk on top of the backer rod joining the fireplace to the house.

Old John · #13 09/15/10, 07:00 AM

We had sort of the same problem with a little gap, on both sides of our big double stone chimney. I ran across some stuff in a can called, "Great Stuff". It comes in an aerosol can with a tube you screw on the top. It is an expansive foam. It fills the cracks up tight. I used the kind for doors & windows. It has been up there 3 years and it's still just fine, very weather-proof.
P.S., You have to be careful with it and the "Kind/type" you get. I sprayed some under the edge of some boards.....it expanded so much it pushed the boards away from the wall. There are several kinds, varieties of the "Great Stuff".

fishhead · #14 09/15/10, 08:35 AM

I'd use the window approved "Great Stuff". When it's done expanding trim it off with a saw or knife and then paint it to cover and protect it.

meanwhile · #15 09/15/10, 09:45 AM

I thought about the Great Stuff but the man at Lowe's told me it cannot be used up against the Stone nor where I will get heat. I did see online where Great Stuff has a Fire One but it is bright orange and did not say it could be painted. It did say it was fire proof though.

Thanks for all the good ideas.