Suitability of Lime Mortar to bed in Chimney Pots
We have a brick built grade 2 listed house (built in 1760) where recently we had a new log burning stove fitted by a professional company, that included a new chimney liner and pots.
To do this, we had to obtain listed building consent, where the conservation officer insisted on lime mortar for jointing, pointing & flaunching (flaunching is the setting in of the pots on top of the chimney). As we viewed lime mortar work as a specialist trade and the stove installation company included this as part of their package, I was happy to let them proceed.
Work was carried out in the summer of 2009, but in April this year we noticed quite a lot of lime mortar flakes around the house and on the roof. I sent photo’s to the stove installation company, but they blamed the fragility of Lime mortar (frost damage) and suggested I may like to change to a more robust cement mix, should the local conservation officer allow, pointing out they had only used Lime Mortar because the conservation officer had insisted.
I put this to the conservation officer, who thinks there must be a problem with the mix and it should be re-done, with the correct mix this time.
On a previous house where I had carried out this work, for the flaunching I had used a frost inhibitor with the cement mortar mix & would have preferred this, but I can see the argument it would not be suitable for a listed building.
The Installation company are now being non-responsive when I put it to them the mix may have been wrong.
Should I expect this from Lime Mortar flaunching ?
Where do I go for advice on the suitability of Lime Mortar for flaunching ?
Any advice would be appreciated.
We have a brick built grade 2 listed house (built in 1760) where recently we had a new log burning stove fitted by a professional company, that included a new chimney liner and pots.
To do this, we had to obtain listed building consent, where the conservation officer insisted on lime mortar for jointing, pointing & flaunching (flaunching is the setting in of the pots on top of the chimney). As we viewed lime mortar work as a specialist trade and the stove installation company included this as part of their package, I was happy to let them proceed.
Work was carried out in the summer of 2009, but in April this year we noticed quite a lot of lime mortar flakes around the house and on the roof. I sent photo’s to the stove installation company, but they blamed the fragility of Lime mortar (frost damage) and suggested I may like to change to a more robust cement mix, should the local conservation officer allow, pointing out they had only used Lime Mortar because the conservation officer had insisted.
I put this to the conservation officer, who thinks there must be a problem with the mix and it should be re-done, with the correct mix this time.
On a previous house where I had carried out this work, for the flaunching I had used a frost inhibitor with the cement mortar mix & would have preferred this, but I can see the argument it would not be suitable for a listed building.
The Installation company are now being non-responsive when I put it to them the mix may have been wrong.
Should I expect this from Lime Mortar flaunching ?
Where do I go for advice on the suitability of Lime Mortar for flaunching ?
Any advice would be appreciated.