Post by : Admin
27-Jul-2020
Your home’s chimney has served you well over the past years, keeping your toes warm and your marshmallows toasty!
However, for the last round, you couldn’t help but feel like something is a little off.
Now that its summertime, take the chance and give your chimney a good look. It might be trying to tell you something.
No need to get up on the roof! Just take a ladder and get a good vantage point, so you can at least get the mortar joint in sight. See any white layers around the bottom, some patchy holes bad enough to trigger your trypophobia?
If yes, then your chimney’s mortar joints are heavily damaged and require repairs. Damage to the joints causes accelerated damage to the bricks since it’s exposed to moisture. That moisture gets into the small cracks of the bricks and causes further damage, ultimately leading to a chimney collapse.
If you’re okay with going up on the roof, have a look at the chimney crown as well.
Chimney crowns can crack if moisture finds its way through the micro-cracks, leading to spalling and shaling. If that happens, it becomes easy for water to go in and damage the flue lining and interior components of the structure as well.
There shouldn’t be any signs of moisture in your firebox or your chimney. So, if you spot any tell-tale signs or a specific metallic smell from the area, check inside with a flashlight. Have a close look at your chimney damper and see if it operates and seals properly.
Also, flash your light up the chimney to check the flue lining. If there are any signs of deterioration like cracks, you’ll need to have that looked at straight away. Otherwise, it may lead to a house fire.
Especially around the chimney and fireplace, if you see any wet spots or slight discoloring, this could mean that moisture has made its way through to the walls and will require extensive repair work.
With such damage, it helps to get the repairs done right away. Otherwise, that leads to more damage. With the upcoming monsoon season, you don’t want to be unprepared if a bad storm comes your way.
Call the professionals in the business!
Creative Masonry and Chimney is a Connecticut-based masonry, chimney repair and sweeping, and fireplace service that caters to clients in Hartford, Simsbury, Bloomfield, and numerous other areas.
If your chimney needs quick repairs, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’ll be at your doorstep, ready to fix your chimney problems in no time!
