For a lot of people, spring is a time for refreshment, new beginnings, and rejuvenation. Therefore it only seems natural that the annual tradition of breathing new life into your home with a thorough cleansing takes place in spring. However, one aspect of spring cleaning that is often overlooked is cleaning and maintaining your chimney system. Just like the rest of your home, your chimney also needs a thorough inspection and cleaning. Winters can be tough on a chimney. The constant process of heating up and cooling down can start to take a toll on your masonry and small cracks may be starting to form in your chimney. Although you probably used your fireplace a lot in the winter, you probably are starting to use it less as the weather warms up. At Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions, we believe that this is an excellent time to make sure that your chimney is in perfect operating condition and free of leaks.
What Causes Chimney Leaks?
There are a lot of things that cause your chimney to leak. One of the main causes of chimney leaks is faulty or missing chimney caps. Your chimney cap is the first line of defense against moisture entering your chimney system. A chimney cap is simply a metal can that sits on top of your chimney, preventing rain and snow from entering your home. If this cap is not working properly or missing, you could be letting in a lot of moisture.
Other things that could be causing your chimney to leak are pre-existing cracks, weak masonry joints, or defective roof flashing, to name a few. Solutions to these problems vary greatly but can include something as simple as applying a water repellent to something more involved such as chimney relining or crown repair.
Why Moisture Can Cause Serious Problems
North Texas gets a weird mix of weather in the spring. Although we get a lot of rain, it has also been known to sleet and snow all the way through early spring. Moisture from rain, sleet, or snow can seep and pool in tiny crevasses and pores in your chimney masonry. If this water gets a chance to freeze it can expand, causing bricks and mortar to crack and weaken. This can lead to crumbling mortar and loose brickwork. This is a hazardous situation which can lead to some costly repairs or even an injury due to falling bricks. This is why catching leaks in your chimney early can be a big time and money saver as well as a way to prevent a hazardous situation.
Other problems caused by moisture are unsightly chimney stains, bad smells, and rusty damper assemblies. Although these problems seem minor, they could be an indication of a bigger leakage issue that should be addressed.
Spring is here and now is the perfect time to check your chimney for leaks. Remember, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends only having a CSIA-certified chimney sweep, inspect your chimney. If you are in need of chimney leak repair, or need to schedule your annual chimney inspection, please contact Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions at 972-562-6851 or schedule an appointment online today! Our CSIA-certified chimney technicians can inspect and repair your leaking chimney.