How To Install a Chimney Lashing Bracket
This video shows you how to correctly install a chimney lashing bracket so that TV aerials and satellite dishes can be fitted to chimney stacks without damaging the chimney structure. A lashing bracket works on the process that a lashing wire is fed around the chimney and tightened so that the chimney bracket is sesured on one corner of the chimeny and held in position by the tension of the wire. As the tension of the wire is going to be holding the aerial in position it's important that the chimney is of a sound structure because if it isn't the wire is likely to pull the bricks inwards so the chimney must be inspected before fitting the bracket.
Drill fixings should never be used on chimneys stacks. This is because the vast majority of chimneys are a single skin brick and together with wind-loading placed on the aerial or satellite dish is likely to rip the bricks clean from the chimney.
The bracket that has been used for this video demonstration is a 8" cradle lashing bracket. The bracket size should be at least 1/6th of the overall mast height.
Tools You Will Need
1x Spanner - Whatever size nuts on the J bolts are, usually 15mm.
1x Flat object - Screwdriver is fine.
Parts You Will Need
1x Chimney Lashing Bracket
1x Lashing wire
2x J bolts
2x U bolts
3x Corner plates
Step By Step Guide To Install Chimney Lashing Bracket
Before you begin, you must decide the corner of the chimney stack that the bracket will be secured to. I recommend going transmitter side where possible.
1- Prepare the bracket by entering the U bolts and 1x J bolt.
2- Wrap the lashing wire, over and around the remaining 'J' bolt as per the video demonstration.
3- Insert J bolt into lashing bracket. The should be on the more difficult side to make the installation easier when installing on the chimney.
4- Make sure the all nuts on 'U' bolts and 'J' bolts are at least three turns from the end of the thread so that these do not fall off when installing the chimney bracket.
5- Feed the lashing wire around the chimney, pull tight and temporarily wrap the lashing wire over 'J' bolt at the other side to hold loosely in position. This will allow you to enter the corner plates.
6- Insert the 3x corner plates at each corner of the chimney stack. This will protect the chimney from damage caused by the wire. If your chimney is not square or has more that 4 corners, additional corner plates must be installed at each point where the lashing wire contacts the chimney.
7- Pull the lashing wire tight and following the same process as step 2, wrap the lashing wire over and around the second 'J' bolt.
8- Tighten both 'J' bolts with the spanner. When this starts to get tight, insert the flat object to prevent the 'J' bolt from rotating.