How long does your fireplace burn?

[jinman]

Anyway what I'm getting at is, you say it will patina soon?
Don't hold your breath, none of us may still be around by the time that new copper turns green, it could take decades! It will just turn brown after a season or 2 and stay that way for a long, long time.
To get to a full, all green patina could take 40-50 years.

You can speed up the process by treating the metal with an acid mix. Duplicating all those years worth of environmental fall out "acid rain"

JB, what I based my comment on was also experience, but it may have been a faulty parallel that I used. Where I used to work, we had a big fountain in a large atrium in the middle of the building (see attachment). The fountain was copper clad and had to have repairs while I worked there. The structure under the copper was corroding away. Essentially, the whole fountain structure was rebuilt and new copper cladding added. In less than a year, that bright copper turned the color you see in the picture. Granted, it had water running over it 24/7, but it was inside and not exposed to any external elements.

BTW: I don't care if this thread wanders. I think I have the info I wanted and these side-topics are kinda fun.

 

[zzvyb6]

The copper cap is open at the top and I left a panel off the back in case there was insifficient draft AND to clean out any bird nests or raccoons that may be setting up shop there. Each flue has a conventional top panel and a surround screen. I used copper pop rivets to attach the copper panels to the water pipe space frame. It takes about 7 years on the average around here for bright un-polyurethaned copper just to turn brown. I didn't treat it with anything. It does get warm up there when the fireplace is fully cookin', so the color change may be accelerated. You can use vinegar to help the green patina form, but I like the copper look. There is plenty of updraft at all times when the damper is open, so I may seal up the back opening.

I do wonder about lightning strikes, though. Do you suppose I need to attach a stranded ground wire? I have a 32' windmill nearby that has helped bleed off the lightning potential. The house has been hit by lightning at least twice (It ran down the gutters and downspouts) before the windmill went up.

Now all I really worry about are the hot air balloons cruising overhead.

 

[JB4310]

JB, what I based my comment on was also experience, but it may have been a faulty parallel that I used. Where I used to work, we had a big fountain in a large atrium in the middle of the building (see attachment). The fountain was copper clad and had to have repairs while I worked there. The structure under the copper was corroding away. Essentially, the whole fountain structure was rebuilt and new copper cladding added. In less than a year, that bright copper turned the color you see in the picture. Granted, it had water running over it 24/7, but it was inside and not exposed to any external elements.

BTW: I don't care if this thread wanders. I think I have the info I wanted and these side-topics are kinda fun.

Yeah, I'm not sure with the fountain application, with the constant water immersion, might have something to do with it?

It takes about 7 years on the average around here for bright un-polyurethaned copper just to turn brown. I didn't treat it with anything. It does get warm up there when the fireplace is fully cookin', so the color change may be accelerated. Yo

I'm surprised about the 7 years, It may be due to location but I was being generous in saying it would turn brown in a season or 2. I've actually seen new bright copper work loose most of it's luster in a long weekend of rain! for sure after a year it's all brown around here.


At one time when there was more coal fired plants running, that would of sped up the patina process I think. Interesting to note, when the copper is getting to the end of it's service life, it turns orange again, not as bright as when new but it really stands out on the surrounding green, starts occurring where the water runoff is concentrated, at that time it is like carbon paper thin, and will tear/perforate easily, you can poke a finger thru it, makes it a little easier to find potential leaks.


In these random pics there is some 80-100 year old green copper in the backgrounds, everyday sight on the old institutional type buildings.

pic of copper gutter put up 20+ years ago (not by me) and still just brown.