u/instograeme262

Hey, looking for some validation on an estimate I received. My chimney is dormant and is still exposed up top. A bunch of moisture is getting in and some old bricks on the inside of my house are starting to erode. A chimney guy came to my house today and said it would be $3500 to replace the two bricks on the inside that need to be repaired and also take down the chimney to the flashing on the outside of the house. That felt a little high, but curious if that pricing tracks with this group. Appreciate it!

Hey all — looking for some advice on an exposed brick/chimney situation.

We recently refinished our entire first floor. During demo, we removed drywall in the kitchen and discovered this exposed brick column. It appears to be part of the chimney/flue chase for our HVAC exhaust — the gas HVAC unit for heating/cooling is directly below this area in the basement, and the chimney vents out through the roof. The house was built in 1905.

We decided to keep the brick exposed because it looked cool. Our handyman cleaned it up, repointed/sealed it, and overall it looks pretty good. The work also passed inspection.

This morning, though, I noticed a pile of reddish brick dust sitting on the baseboard/floor. It seems to be coming from one specific brick near the bottom, right next to a floor vent. That brick looks like it may be deteriorating or spalling a bit.

I’m trying to figure out how concerned I should be and who I should call first. Is this likely just one soft old brick shedding after being exposed/cleaned up, or could it be a sign of moisture/condensation from the gas exhaust/flue/chimney causing the brick to break down?

A few specific questions:

Should I call a chimney/HVAC venting specialist first to inspect the flue/liner?

Should I call a historic masonry person to evaluate the brick and mortar?

Could the wrong sealer or mortar have trapped moisture and caused this?

Is this something that needs immediate attention since it’s tied to a gas HVAC exhaust path?

We do have carbon monoxide detectors and there have been no CO alarms or exhaust smells, but I want to make sure I’m not ignoring something important.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hey, I have this machine that was my dad's. I wanna try to fix it up overtime currently nothing lights up.

Where should I start? Is there a place that sells parts and how do I look those up like the bulbs or an electrical wiring kit?