Rigged a temporary cap with duct tape after losing a chimney cap on a job in Memphis.

I was up on a roof in Memphis last Tuesday and the wind ripped the old chimney cap right off before I could get the new one secured. Had to patch it with some leftover metal flashing and duct tape just to keep rain and critters out until the replacement came in the mail. Anyone else ever have to MacGyver a fix mid-job like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.diana7d agoTop Commenter

That 2 foot chunk of leftover flashing I had in the truck came in clutch, I used the tape to hold the edges down tight against the old clay flue liner. I even wrapped a few extra strips around the base just to be sure a raccoon couldn't paw its way through while I waited for the UPS truck to show up two days later. You gotta love the temporary fixes that hold for three months and then you forget about them until the next service call rolls around.

ward.diana7d agoTop Commenter

Totally feel you on that. @pat_harris had the right idea with his two year tape job. I still got a piece of old gutter I jammed under a loose shingle last spring. Forgot all about it until the last big windstorm. It held, somehow. Those janky fixes are like little miracles, man.

pat_harris7d ago

Hell yeah, that's the best kind of fix! I had a chimney cap held on with duct tape and a prayer for almost two years before I finally replaced it. Kept meaning to get to it, but the tape just kept doing its job.