Many ways exist for chimneys to become damaged. One of the most common is through water intrusion, usually through cracks in the bricks and mortar. Having a waterproof chimney sealant applied can prevent this water intrusion entering the chimney and allow you to avoid the big costs associated with leaky chimney repair and rebuilding.
National Chimney Cleaners of Fairfield County, CT, and Morris County, NJ, would like to share some useful information on chimney leaks, chimney damage and chimney repair in general.
Often, small cracks in a chimney’s bricks and minor crumbling of the masonry go unnoticed by homeowners. It’s not until more obvious issues arise that the homeowners realize there’s a problem. Common signs of a leaky chimney include:
If any of these are happening at your home, it’s a good idea to schedule a chimney inspection as soon as possible.
A licensed chimney inspection will get to the core of the problem and determine why the leak is happening and how much, if any, collateral damage has occurred.
Your chimney inspector can then recommend the best methods for repairing the leak and the chimney damage. Once that’s done, a protective chimney sealant can be applied to help prevent more damage in the future.
What is a chimney sealant?There are several types of chimney sealant products. Some of them merely fill in the cracks to create a barrier against water. The better products form a “vapor permeable” seal, which not only blocks water but also allows the bricks beneath the sealant to breathe and expel the vapors that would otherwise add moisture to the masonry surface.
Top-brand chimney sealants are effective on all types of brick (masonry) chimneys and will hold up and keep doing their job for as long as 15 to 20 years when correctly applied.
If you schedule service to apply a chimney sealant, you may already be experiencing some level of damage to your chimney. If this is the case, the damage will need to be repaired before adding the waterproofing.
Water can cause a variety of problems to chimney structures such as deterioration of bricks and mortar, water can lead to damage to the chimney liner, the roof that abuts the chimney, and rusting of the fireplace damper just to name a few.
Severely damaged masonry eventually may cause the chimney to lean to one side and create a risk to human safety and the home’s roof. In extreme cases, water-damaged masonry can cause a partial or complete chimney collapse.
So you’ll want to resolve any water-related problems before having the sealant applied.
National Chimney Cleaners provides chimney waterproofing along with all types of chimney repair services throughout Fairfield and Morris counties. We solve chimney issues and help homeowners keep their chimneys safe and efficient.
Speak with a chimney expert today at 800-631-6177. You also can reach us through our handy contact form.
