Have you ever noticed any unpleasant odors coming from your chimney? Are there stains on your chimney and fireplace masonry, or on the walls surrounding your chimney and fireplace? Is your masonry starting to
crack or crumble? If you answered yes to any of these questions, there is a good chance that your chimney system isn’t properly protected from water. Moisture is a chimney system’s worst enemy and if your chimney isn’t protected, you could be putting your chimney at risk for a number of future issues. At Hale’s Chimney and Fireplace Solutions, we want you and your family to be able to enjoy your fireplace when cooler weather sets in. That’s why we want to emphasize the importance of waterproofing your chimney and give you some ideas on some basic things you can do to make sure your chimney system is protected from moisture.
Protecting Your Masonry
Water acts as a solvent to your masonry and long term exposure to moisture can quickly degrade the structural integrity of your chimney. Although it may seem like your masonry dries after a rain event, the truth is that your masonry is very porous. This means that moisture from rain, sleet, or snow can be absorbed and settle on the inside of your masonry brickwork or mortar. When this happens, your masonry will slowly start to erode from the inside out. Furthermore, if water is allowed to freeze inside your masonry, it can quickly expand, causing your brickwork to crack, chip, or crumble.
The best way to protect your masonry is to prevent exposure to water. There are a number of chimney components that work in unison to protect your chimney system from moisture. One service that we offer at Hale’s Chimney and Fireplace Solutions is masonry water-repellent application. We use a product called ChimneySaver to seal the pores in your chimney masonry. This blocks moisture from entering your chimney masonry, protecting your brickwork from erosion caused by water.
Other water protection components are engineered to block water from entering your home. Good examples of these are your chimney cap, chimney crown, and chimney flashing. Your chimney cap is a metal cap that sits on top of your chimney, blocking rain, sleet, and snow from entering your chimney. The sides of the cap are mesh, allowing smoke and gases to exit your home. Your chimney crown also protects your chimney. It is a concrete slope that surrounds your chimney opening. The slope allows water to run off the top of the chimney instead of settling on the brickwork. Finally, there is a gap between your chimney and your roof where your chimney exits your home. Your chimney flashing is a strip of metal that covers this gap, preventing water runoff from entering your home.
If anyone of these chimney components is damaged, it can lead to moisture issues.
Make sure your chimney is protected from moisture. Call Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions at 972-562-6851, or schedule an appointment with one of our masonry professionals online today.