or take the job. This crew has been walking around looking at their chimeny problem for over a hour.

(Click on the picture to enlarge)
[IMG:left] [/IMG]

not working for me.

quote:

Originally posted by BigWhup:
not working for me.

The house next door is occupied. The chimney was wobbling towards the home and the air conditioner on the wall until they stopped trying to knock the house down. If it falls, it will clearly hit the house. The damage may be inconsequential or significant.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
or take the job. This crew has been walking around looking at their chimeny problem for over a hour.

That's pathetic. The answer is right there in the picture. That's a fine little excavator with a hydraulic thumb. I couldn't guarantee you'd be able to reuse all the bricks, but if it took me fifteen minutes to turn that chimney into a much lower stack of bricks it could only be because I needed a second cup of coffee.

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
or take the job. This crew has been walking around looking at their chimeny problem for over a hour.

That's pathetic. The answer is right there in the picture. That's a fine little excavator with a hydraulic thumb. I couldn't guarantee you'd be able to reuse all the bricks, but if it took me fifteen minutes to turn that chimney into a much lower stack of bricks it could only be because I needed a second cup of coffee.

Looks like the excavator doesn't have the reach to get to the chimney without tearing through the rest of the house first. And tearing through the rest of the house de-stabilized the chimney. I did house demolition with an engineering contractor way back, and we were always very careful with chimneys, and used an excavator with enough reach to topple it from up high. What would your approach be?

quote:

Originally posted by DrDan:

quote:

Originally posted by slosig:

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
or take the job. This crew has been walking around looking at their chimeny problem for over a hour.

That's pathetic. The answer is right there in the picture. That's a fine little excavator with a hydraulic thumb. I couldn't guarantee you'd be able to reuse all the bricks, but if it took me fifteen minutes to turn that chimney into a much lower stack of bricks it could only be because I needed a second cup of coffee.

Looks like the excavator doesn't have the reach to get to the chimney without tearing through the rest of the house first. And tearing through the rest of the house de-stabilized the chimney. I did house demolition with an engineering contractor way back, and we were always very careful with chimneys, and used an excavator with enough reach to topple it from up high. What would your approach be?

It looked to me like you could walk the excavator right up to it from the far side. If so, I'd do that, reach as high as I could without getting too close, grab it and break it by rotating the bucket, not a big stick or boom move. That way I don't tip the whole thing over as a unit, just break to top off, then work my way down.

If I can't get close enough for that, we are in second cup of coffee time. Grab a ladder (or better a manlift, but I didn't see one in the picture), tie a chain around it at the inflection point about half way up the darker part, keep tying chains on 'till I can reach the stretched out bucket on the excavator with the excavator far enough away that I can pull it toward me and not worry about wearing it even if the whole thing comes down as one straight unit (much more likely pulling it that way, but if that is all you can do...).

Appears the chimney is in the middle of the house from the shadows. Reach with the excavator will be short, need to use the chain option, but appears they do not have a safe way to get up there...

They need the right equipment for that job.

Always use full vast methods and procedures.

Never use half...

I have zero experience but my solution after I saw the problem developing was a cherry picker and a rope around the chimney with perhaps a net on top to keep the bricks from flying. I had to leave work before they finished everything. I'll have to check tomorrow to see what happened with the staff.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
I have zero experience but my solution after I saw the problem developing was a cherry picker and a rope around the chimney with perhaps a net on top to keep the bricks from flying. I had to leave work before they finished everything. I'll have to check tomorrow to see what happened with the staff.

Good approach but I'd recommend a chain over a rope. Usually a stronger and easier to tell the condition as it ages. Of course, if you are going to break it, better to get hit by flying rope than flying chain or cable...

How'd they make out today?

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
Always use full vast methods and procedures.

Never use half...

Yep, and as I learned it, "Never undertake vast projects with half-vast ideas."

Probably get that job done easily using a sky-hook.

Aren't too many problems that can't be solved with the subtle application of high explosives