So, a few years ago my wife and I purchased a concrete gargoyle. It's pretty big. Well, not huge, but big enough to weigh a ton! Just about blew out my shoulder the first time I moved it.

Anyhoo, during the spring, summer, fall we have it by our front door outside. We usually bring it in for the winter and put it in our living room. The guy we bought it from said it was fine outside in our climate, but it just gets buried in snow and we don't get to see our little fella.

This year, we've neglected to move it in until now. It's relatively cool out (O degree Celsius), but we have the wood stove going indoors which is now hotter than the hubs of hell.

My question is, are there any risks to bringing this poor cold fella directly into the living room where the woodstove is and it's really hot, or should I move it into a room at the other end of the house for a few days to acclimate slowly.

We paid a fair sum for it and I don't want the poor guy to crack or something.

 

I'd acclimate it to let moisture equalize.....same thing in the spring. Put it outside with a bunch of moisture inside and then get a freeze...ouch. Prob not as big a deal when moving it inside...

 

There is no harm in slowly acclimating the beast so why not? I'd bring it into the garage for a day or two before coming in the house and then a few more days before I'd try it next to the fire.

 

Having the same problem with my brass monkey. He wants IN!

 

I hate it when they just stand there looking in. I'd do as Dane suggested, roll it on a flat platform roller into the garage, at least until it dried out somewhat, then gradually into the house. I wouldn't keep it too close to the fireplace, though.

 

Thanks guys. Yep, using a moving dolly that holds up to 800lbs. I'll bring it in and put it in the laundry room which is at the other end of the house for a day or two. We don't have a garage.

Chandler, do you mean don't put it near the wood stove for a while or for the rest of the winter? He's lived about 5' away from the woodstove for the past 3 years. Hope that's not slowly killing him.

We love gargoyles. Have a family of them. The little guys are already in the house, we just left Dad outside as he's the heaviest and the one we procrastinate in moving the most. I'll take some pics later.

 

Well, if he gets cold, you can move him closer to the fireplace. Forbid you get sued over gargoyle discrimination Really, I think the closer to the source of heat, the dryer he will get, and concrete doesn't like inordinate amounts of heat. Could cause spalling.

 

I thought gargoyles were supposed to be scary but I don't know about a pelican. I suppose he could have a bad attitude.

 

The family:

The kids:


The bigger kids (first one's mine, second is my wife's favourite):



My very first gargoyle (just a little fella):


Grampa and not to be messed with:

 

The temperature is not what ruins concrete. It has a tremendous capacity to absorb and give off heat/cold.

The deterioration with concrete is the alternating cycles of cold and warm (freeze thaw) when it is saturated. If the idiot that cast those was not smart enough to use air entrained concrete, alternating freeze/thaw cycles while saturated could ultimately be a problem in a few decades.

You do not have to baby a concrete "troll". All trolls and gargoyles are related, but just go under different names depending where the are from. Trolls usually come from cooler climates.

Dick

 

Thanks for the info Concretemasonry! Not sure if the guy was an idiot, he did say they were good outdoors here all year 'round and said if anything happened to bring it back. From the sounds of things he's been making them for ever. We just like to bring him inside so we can see him in the winter and not buried under 2' of snow.

 

my gargoyles that i make are made of solid concrete ! so you will have no problem with the weather..