Masonry Magazine October 2005 Page. 21
From the balcony, Rod and Jerry studied the side of the massive two-story TESS (Thermal Energy Storage System) fireplace to be replaced.
"We'll unzipper it here," Rod said. Using a diamond-blade 12-inch grinder later that day, Rod would cut down through the four-inch brick facing on both sides in the process of separating the fireplace from the chimney cavity.
Masonry heaters rely on wood's capacity to give off tremendous heat quickly and the ability of the masonry materials to soak up that heat, releasing it slowly over a 12-to 24-hour period.
Set-up crew morphed into wrecking crew. The din was horrific. I stuffed Kleenex in my ears, grabbed a hardhat and went on clicking the shutter of my camera. The crew whaled away at the formidable masonry mass and filled bucket after bucket with debris. This was dirty, dangerous, grueling manual labor.
Through the clamor, the dust, the flying chunks of brick and concrete I wanted to holler, "Hey, guys, are ya havin' fun yet?" They definitely were.
Meanwhile, Steve Bushway of Massachusetts installed his Ultimate Ridge Hook scaffolding system on the metal roof with the help of William Davenport of Vermont.
Knocking off at noon, we were all ready for the hearty lunch Bev had ready out under the canopy in the bake oven and barbecue grill complex. A bit of relaxation and camaraderie, then back to work!
That afternoon, Dick rented an 80-pound Bosch jackhammer and within a short time most of rest of the fireplace came down, exposing the chimney cavity. The room
The Voice of the Mason Contractor
Clockwise from top: Bev and Dick's log house; Korey jackhammers his way into TESS innards: Jerry takes care of dust control as Rod mans the masonry saw.
October 2005
Masonry 19