Unrelated to your concerns, I would suggest a screen or plumbing vent cap to keep rodents from dropping in through the vent. Most don't realize that this is a thing that happens.
Really, this looks fine. I've seen a pile of metal roof in rural ag areas, and this is the right boot, done the right way. Yah, if they'd thought ahead they might have been able to schedule the sheets to not land on the seem. But putting the boot at 45* and screwing them on either side of the seam is correct, though that bottom one is squonky, but it's at the bottom so it shouldn't be an issue. Proper caulking under and around. This is probably as good as it gets.
I'm not a roofer, but I'd have the vents installed the correct way. Even if it was sealed well the whole setup looks sloppy and prone to leaks. Show the boss or forman of the roofing company the pictures of the work you dont like and see if they'll fix it. If not you could look up your local laws, the roofer may have to make this right. If they do then document the work and make sure it's good. Either way I'd fix it, you don't fuck with your roof.
That is the right boot for that job. That said, the install is not the most attractive I’ve seen.
If you want to put another boot on top of that, look for “ag panel roof boot” on Google. There are some larger boots that could sit on top of that thing.
For something like this, if probably hit up YouTube and search metal roof + roof boot or pipe flashing
Two potential options.
Option 1. More caulk. It’s possible that the roofer did put caulk under the boot. Perhaps they only put calk on the perimeter. https://youtu.be/eidzG74VT5U
And that said, when I’ve had problems with flashing and my roof, the best thing to do is to get into the attic while someone pours water in specific areas. That’s the fastest way to know what specifically needs to be fixed.
The flange they adapted was done pretty badly so it isn't making as even contact as would be ideal. Looks like they tried to use sealant to make up for it and didn't use enough, so it still had gaps.
If it were my circus, I'd use butyl sheet under the boot for more expansion/contraction tolerant waterproofing and take the extra time to do a better job on that flange.
You could go ham with some roof patch and be done with it for a decade and do it better when it needs redoing.
The sealant is supposed to be that way. You’re supposed to bend the aluminum to the match the roof, put a bead of caulk under the boot, put screws at the major fold lines, and put a bead of caulk around the edge for extra protection.
I don’t know if the installer put the first bead on, but the screws are basically in the right places and the that finishing bead is there.
The problem might be because the installer installed this at a 45 degree angle. That’s not something I normally see. That forces the big bend to be on a corner.
I usually see these at that angle, supposedly so it sheds water to either side instead of damming it by being horizontal. Metal roofs are pretty common in rural areas, and the boots are done like this.
I pulled out some of my chimney from 1929. In the center it was the rounded rectangular clay pipe, stacked up. Surrounded by bricks which supported the clay pipe and had air gaps on both sides like you are showing. This was an old chimney that used to go to the boiler in the basement - not a fireplace.
I'm certain neither flue would meet modern safety standards, and that is just from what I can see in that picture with very little information. There are some grandfathering of some issues.
Both flue almost certainly has deteriorated mortar joints or damaged tiles. You would need to have the flue camera inspected(level 2 inspection).
The right flue is fully fucked and should not be used. The tiles are gone and there is masonry that has fallen and is obstructing the flue. Edit: Not a flue, is open chase cavity.
To determine if the flue will be able to have a stainless liner, you need the measurements of the firebox width, depth, and rear wall width. You then can put those measurements into an online calculator to determine liner size. The next problem is how much space you have in the chase(chimney structure surrounding the liner). If your chase has an opening of 10"x10" and you need an 11" liner, that is a problem.
The flue may be able to be coated with a masonry product like Fireguard or Fluesaver. That would depend on the condition of the flue tiles and the exact system used to reline.
The top of the chimney should not be closed off with a cap like you have there. It should have the tiles or a liner extending past the crown(top) of the chimney, the crown would close off the chase and keep water, debris, animals, etc. from being able to enter the chase. Water and products of combustion acting on the mortar joints of tiles and brick will destroy the structure. Just putting that cap on there is better than nothing, but it is more of a way to buy time so you can actually fix it properly. The crown used to be covered and sealed properly, but has deteriorated to the state it is in now.
Get a certified chimney sweep out there for a level 2 inspection of both flue and they will be able to give you a better understanding of what all needs to be done and you can go from there. Use a company that does the inspections and the work. If they don't do the work, then you will have to deal with inaccurate quotes and a bigger headache. Just do an inspection on the right one, no sweep. They should be swept with the inspection to get a good idea of the tile and mortar joint condition.
Edit: fixed some stuff based on further explanation of the situation.
Not the answer you're looking for but we just put a cap over our double chimney. Our area has terrible pollution problems and, although we liked having fires, we're happier not contributing to the area's bad air.
I think you're okay here -- the code requirement about solid or fully-grouted blocks applies to the masonry supporting the flue liner. What you're looking at in the photo is a decorative brick wrap around the structural portion of the chimney. My main concern would be to ensure that this area is properly capped and sealed so that critters and rainwater can't get into the cavity and find their way further into your home.
The left side flue was appropriate when it was built with a closed chase supporting the flue tiles. The right side has no flue tiles and would only be acceptable like a 100 years ago.
That's true if the right side is a flue, but with neither fire brick nor flue liner in evidence, I suspect it's purely decorative -- I'm interpreting OP's text description to mean that we're looking at one of two lined flues, and one of two unexpected void spaces he found when removing the cap. I don't think the void is actually connected to anything, and instead is just decorative, but if I'm wrong and you're correct, then yeah -- there are more serious issues to deal with here
Sorry, I suppose I should have clarified that. The right side is the "gap". Both flues are lined with clay tiles. The left flue is not visible in the picture.
Does the wall dividing the gap and the flue tiles visible from the top go all the way down or does it stop after a few bricks and then just has the flue stack naked in the chase?
So it is basically a closed chase with brick surrounding the flue. That isn't how it would be built today, but very common on most older homes. What you really don't want is naked flue tiles in an open chase with no brick supporting them because they will be prone to serious failures like the tile stack collapsing.
You don't really need to worry about that cavity. They want the brick cores filled and adequate mortar joints in the brick, not dry set(no mortar).
Construct a new crown to seal off the chase and extend the flue tiles by about 6" off the top of the new crown. There is a chance of a cross breeze pulling smoke down the adjacent flue, but there are a few factors that can cause that and I would need a few photos of the whole picture to have a decent idea if that could be an issue.
That makes me feel better. There was no crown initially. The flue tiles terminated flush with the brick inside the chimney cap. The old cap made cleaning and inspecting the flues difficult. It also had a fair bit of water damage.
I would use a grinder to put rebar down over the gap, set into the bricks, put cement board on top of that which has a 1/2" overhang onto the brick. I am extra and would do a rebar every brick across the short side. From there you can built a mold to pour a rebar and concrete slab with a 2" overhang, or no overhang if your rain cap can accommodate the tile extensions. The overhang will help to protect the mortar joints of the brick, so if your cap has less drip edge, I would just pour with the overhang. You do want to make sure the concrete is shaped to allow for water runoff, water sitting on the crown will fuck shit up faster if it sits. Use some foam seal around the tiles to give some relief for expansion and contraction. Seal over the foam with an exterior polyurethane sealant so water will have a harder time acting on the joint between the tile and the concrete.
If you elect to have the tiles with their own individual rain caps, I would suggest adding a sand cap over the concrete to act as a sacrificial wash. You'll want to slip a tuck pointing trowel up against the tile to give some expansion room. Seal that wash to the tile with polyurethane as well. You don't need more than an inch thickness, tapering to 1/2" at the edge. You will have to replace/patch that sand cap every so often, so make sure to check on it. Most of the time you just need to patch it with the leftover sand cap thinned out and applied with a brush, but you can use mortar as well.
I hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose the decorative brick could be just considered a chase. I haven't been able to find any similar examples so I wasn't quite sure what I was looking at.
Other notable runner ups: Fixing LED light strips that separate from their adhesive, holding guitar nuts in place well enough for daily use but still mallet-able to remove it, and of course for gluing ones enemies eyelids shut
This is the best plastic epoxy I have found. JB Weld plastic weld. There are others if you can't get it.
So take it apart. Clean it especially if there is any soap. Let it dry. After it is dry it might not hurt to do a light clean with rubbing alcohol. Then epoxy it back together, per the epoxy instructions. This type of epoxy is very noxious. Do it outside and leave the top outside for a few hours. It is also best to not touch it, use a stick.
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