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The Rampart chimney systems
are generally white and the outside appearance is made to look like they
are built with bricks.
They have a potential
for having cracks in the insulation plate, which is located directly
above the opening inside the fireplace.
If the insulation plate
is cracked, there is no approved repair and the system
SHOULD NOT be used
due to the high risk of a fire. Stove inserts (gas, wood, or pellet) or
gas logs should not be installed, and it can't be adequately patched.
In the decade
following our training in Ramparts, roughly 60%-70% of the Ramparts that
we inspected had a cracked insulation plate.
Even hairline cracks
are dangerous because they will widen with heat, and then allow this
heat to transfer through the cracks to combustible materials used in
construction around the chimney.
No repairs have been
approved by the
manufacturer or by the Superior and Municipal Courts of California who
have made rulings in cases involving cracked Ramparts.
Unfortunately, the
company that constructed these chimney systems is now out of business so
there is no recourse against the manufacturer.
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