vinyl siding chimney - strap

[fastmac]

After 13 years of having my DirectTV dish attached to my roof, my condo association wants me to move my dish off the roof. They want it to be attached to wood facia or use a chimney strap. I had an installer come out to do the move. He took a look at my situation and could not find any wood facia that would allow me to point my dish to the satellite. He looked at the chimney that is completely vinyl sided said that the chimney strap is totally out of the question because of the vinyl siding. My condo association believes that the installer just didn't want to do the work. I on the other hand would rather rely on the professional. So the question is:

Can a chimney strap be used if the chimney is completed vinyl sided? There is no exposed wood currently on the chimney.

Thanks
Fastmac

 

[Jimbo]

What is the chimny made of ?
They put siding on it, so it's probably made of wood, no reason they can't attach it to the chimney just like they would on a faschia.

They don't like to put them on siding because siding is suppose to be able to breath, expand and contract, but it's your chimney not the side of the house ....

Ask them how they feel about a pole mount in the yard.

 

[cfb]

You cannot attach a directv dish to a fascia board, its not structurally strong enough. Your installer is also correct about the vinyl siding. Almost certainly there is an air gap under the siding and an inch or more of foam insulation. If you apply a strap to it, it'll crush and wont adequately hold. Plus as Jimbo mentioned, depending on your weather, the vinyl will expand and contract considerably more than wood.

There may be studs or plywood sheathing under the vinyl and foam, but finding it and getting a good seating for the lag screws you'll need to mount the dish is really, really iffy. Not to mention its possible to puncture the chimney liner or otherwise make the chimney no longer fire safe.

Lastly, i'm about 99% sure your condo association cant come around 13 years later and tell you to move your dish. About all they can do is suggest a more visually appealing location when you're initially mounting it, providing that their suggestion doesnt cause problems with signal reception.

Of course, I've known plenty of condo associations who will try to tell people to do things they cant tell them to do, then use the homeowners own HOA fees to sue them, and make the homeowner use more of their own money to defend a suit that the association eventually loses.

You might refer to this older thread, seems to cover the dish location/HOA situation and has a few links to the pertinent federal law.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-forum/160541-moving-my-satellite-dish.html

 

[yorktown]

A chimney strap is made for a brick chimney, not a vinyl covered chimney like the one in this picture.


The HOA can't say - NO DISHES allowed !!, but they can tell you to move it to anywhere they want to.

Tell the HOA if they don't like what the installer said that it's now their responsibility to find a suitable installer.

I'm glad I don't live with a HOA.

 

[Jimbo]

The HOA can't say - NO DISHES allowed !!, but they can tell you to move it to anywhere they want to.

Tell the HOA if they don't like what the installer said that it's now their responsibility to find a suitable installer.

Put it on the ground/pole, they'll like that !

You can always look into the dish covers, they can be descised as rocks and whatnot.

 

[yorktown]

Put it on the ground/pole, they'll like that !

You can always look into the dish covers, they can be descised as rocks and whatnot.

Most HOAs prefer it on a pole in the backyard so it can't be seen from the street.

 

[Jimbo]

Most HOAs prefer it on a pole in the backyard so it can't be seen from the street.

I prefer it on a pole too, that way if you live in the SNOW belt you can go out and wipe it off without having to deal with a roof.

 

[cfb]

You can always look into the dish covers, they can be descised as rocks and whatnot.

I like the idea of a big rock on the roof. Probably be quite a conversation starter!

 

[Jimbo]

I like the idea of a big rock on the roof. Probably be quite a conversation starter!

The HOA wouldn't like that though, I think the rock ideas for on the ground
I have yet to see a rock cover on a pole yet, but you never know

 

[cfb]

Hey, at least the rock is an 'earth color', which is the thing my cc&r folks like to key on.

Of course, everything is an "earth color" as far as I know. Give me a digger and i'll produce something from the earth in any color or tone you'd like to see.

But of course, you've gone beyond the 'rock on the roof' with your 'rock on a pole', however I think almost anyone would know thats a fake. I can see dozens of people asking "how'd that rock fall on your roof?" vs "how did that rock fall on your pole".

On the other hand, I've watched very few porno movies, so the latter situation may be more common than I thought.

My apologies to Dwayne Johnson.

I'm so sad.

 

[Jimbo]

Hey, at least the rock is an 'earth color', which is the thing my cc&r folks like to key on.

Of course, everything is an "earth color" as far as I know. Give me a digger and i'll produce something from the earth in any color or tone you'd like to see.

But of course, you've gone beyond the 'rock on the roof' with your 'rock on a pole', however I think almost anyone would know thats a fake. I can see dozens of people asking "how'd that rock fall on your roof?" vs "how did that rock fall on your pole".

On the other hand, I've watched very few porno movies, so the latter situation may be more common than I thought.

My apologies to Dwayne Johnson.

I'm so sad.

Toooo funny !!!!!
Thanks for the laugh !

 

[Joe Diamond]

I like the idea of a big rock on the roof. Probably be quite a conversation starter!

I wish I could find the picture!

Imagine a flat row house roof with the plastic rock over a dish. The owner added a mannequin and some red paint as blood running to a roof drain. The effect was a rock from the sky that crunched a local junkie! He reported kids stealing his dish etc and bolted the rock down.

Joe

 

[yorktown]

I prefer it on a pole too, that way if you live in the SNOW belt you can go out and wipe it off without having to deal with a roof.

I always get a kick out of someone saying this. I live in an area that get's snow every year and I've never had to clean snow off my dish.

 

[cfb]

Thats because your wife goes out and clears it off before you see it.

This time of the year, I think you could just put one of those blowup santa claus/reindeer setups over the dish to cover it. I guess if you timed all the major and minor holidays so you were early putting a rooftop decoration over it and a bit late taking it down, you might get close to 365 day coverage.

I think that after you celebrated Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month they might decide they liked the dish up there just fine. If that doesnt sway them, Mold Awareness Month will certainly do the trick.

 

[yorktown]

Thats because your wife goes out and clears it off before you see it.

This time of the year, I think you could just put one of those blowup santa claus/reindeer setups over the dish to cover it. I guess if you timed all the major and minor holidays so you were early putting a rooftop decoration over it and a bit late taking it down, you might get close to 365 day coverage.

I think that after you celebrated Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month they might decide they liked the dish up there just fine. If that doesnt sway them, Mold Awareness Month will certainly do the trick.

What kind of blowup thing would you put over the dish for Gynecology Cancer awareness month ?

 

[cfb]

I've seen a store in san francisco that probably has something.

Maybe some sort of attachment that makes it look like a giant speculum?

 

[Hemi 6.1]

If you want to mount a Dish to your Vinyl siding you need a "Mount Master Mounting Block"

http://www.cellwood.com/pdf/Mount_Vent_PG.pdf

 

[fastmac]

THanks

Thanks everyone with your help. The association is trying to put in me in a hard place. They really aren't telling me to move it now. I am responsible for any damage to the outside of the unit. They have this program that runs to the end of the year. If I move my dish now, they will pick up the roof repair. I can leave the dish where it is now. Just that when it comes time to replace the roof, I will have to pay for the roof repair. At that time I have to move the dish off the roof.

You have given me some ideas on how to respond to the board as well as how I can set up my dish somewhere else.

Thanks all for the responses!

 

[cfb]

Good luck, and dont forget...Mold Awareness Month is right around the corner!

 

[Jimbo]

I always get a kick out of someone saying this. I live in an area that get's snow every year and I've never had to clean snow off my dish.

It's only the very WET snow that causes me trouble, usually I can count on it about once a year.