New chimney fitted

Taking the old chimney off was a job for the angle grinder as it was well and truly stuck on, presumably a combination of burnt material, rust and compression not necessarily in equal amounts. I thought I would need to cut 4 vertical slots into the chimney just above the collar to release the pressure but one did the trick.

It's amazing how much scrud forms over a couple of winters. 

I then set about cleaning the chimney and the collar until it was shiny bright; well cleanish. 

Then the new chimney went on, complete with fairly new 'coolie hat'. I was careful not to push the chimney on too tightly and reminded myself to release it every so often to make sure it doesn't get stuck like the last one.

Btw, I mentioned in a previous post about the question (to myself) of using an 18" chimney compared to a 12" one. Having opted for the smaller of the two, I still can't see it makes any difference to the look or function. I think the shorter one looks more sturdy and maybe more 'business-like' but there may be reasons why a longer chimney is better. Maybe someone will illuminate me.