Lead on my chimney

[Bullbags]

General question.
What are the thin strips of lead running around my chimney for? I am familiar with the lead flashing that sits around the base of the chimney where it meets the roof. However, above this I have thin (2-3inch) strips of lead on the front and sides of the chimney.
What are they for?
Cheers

 

[Nige F]

a tray through the chimney..to stop damp you`ve got a proper job there

 

[Bullbags]

What do mean exactly by a tray through the chimney? How does it stop damp?
Cheers

 

[noseall]

a chimney is partially inside and partially outside your house. it is also subject to a lot of rain.

so, to stop water penetrating down into the lower stack, a dpc is fitted to the chimney. this is usually located at just above or at the front apron flashing.
it sounds to me as though you have a complete 'tray' flashing, which as Nige F says, is very posh.

 

[gangman]

What do mean exactly by a tray through the chimney? How does it stop damp?
Cheers

To answer your question, put simply, it's a flat piece of lead through the chimney which separates the exposed brickwork above the roof (wet) from the brickwork in the loft (dry).

During the Eighties lots of houses were built without a chimney. After this it seems a lot of brickies didn't know about chimney trays or how to fit them. When doing loft conversions and such, I've seen quite a few damp chimneys where no tray has been fitted. There does seem to be a lack of knowledge of basic building techniques these days, probably as a result of the demise of the apprentice brickies.

When you had a chimney through a pitched roof it was usual to fit two trays, one above the top flashing and one above the bottom flashing. For me the the most interesting tray to fit was on an inside to out chimney, that's where the cavity changes from one side of the flue to the other.

 

[^woody^]

Who needs chimneys when you can have ridge vents?

Bloody pain to build too - too many corners, too much plumbing, too much leveling, bonding, oversailing .... arrrggggh ..... knightmare!

 

[Bullbags]

Thanks for the info everyone

 

[Nige F]

What do mean exactly by a tray through the chimney? How does it stop damp?
Cheers

To answer your question, put simply, it's a flat piece of lead through the chimney which separates the exposed brickwork above the roof (wet) from the brickwork in the loft (dry).

During the Eighties lots of houses were built without a chimney. After this it seems a lot of brickies didn't know about chimney trays or how to fit them. When doing loft conversions and such, I've seen quite a few damp chimneys where no tray has been fitted. There does seem to be a lack of knowledge of basic building techniques these days, probably as a result of the demise of the apprentice brickies.

When you had a chimney through a pitched roof it was usual to fit two trays, one above the top flashing and one above the bottom flashing. For me the the most interesting tray to fit was on an inside to out chimney, that's where the cavity changes from one side of the flue to the other.

Well said ....and the demise of Plumbers .........it`s Corgi or nothing nowadays.....they all want to stand in front of a boiler and play with digital test apparatus