Signs Your Chimney Needs Repaired

How to Know When to Get Your Chimney Repaired

Below are a few signs that your chimney may be in need of repair or a rebuild:

• Efflorescence or white staining
• Deteriorating or damaged mortar joints
• Chimney crown damage
• Spalling bricks
• Damage wallpaper or water stains
• Rusted damper or firebox
• Shaling flue tiles

If your chimney has any of the above, give us a call today to schedule your chimney inspection or free chimney repair estimate.

Read below to learn more about some of the types of chimney damage listed above to learn if your chimney may be in need of repairs or a rebuild.

Deteriorating or Damaged Mortar Joints

Deteriorating or damaged mortar joints expose the bricks of your chimney to greater amounts of moisture and can accelerate the damage to the chimney. It may require a rooftop vantage point to identify but if you have damaged or deteriorating mortar joints in your chimney they should be hastily repaired. When even small amounts of water get into the cracks in the masonry, they can easily turn into large cracks especially as a result of freezing or thawing snow or ice.

Ultimately, if this damage is not repaired it could cause the entire chimney to collapse.

Rusted Damper or Firebox

Signs of moisture in a chimney or fireplace mean red flags. They indicate that your chimney isn’t operating the way it should. Rust is one way to identify that there is too much moisture. Rust typically appears in the firebox or on the damper of your chimney. If it becomes difficult to operate the damper or if it isn’t sealing properly you should check it for rust or hire a professional chimney inspection company to inspect the chimney for signs of deterioration and moisture.

Rust in a chimney is a result of too much moisture which can result in numerous problems such as flue tile cracks. Cracked or deteriorating chimney lining is highly dangerous as it could allow too much heat into vulnerable areas and cause a house fire.

Spalling Bricks

Spalling results from water entering the brick, natural stone or concrete of a chimney and then forces the surface of the masonry to pop out, peel off, or flake off. Occasionally salt can also push from the inside and cause spalling.

This damage is fairly easy to identify since bits of masonry fall from the chimney. If chimney spalling is not reapired it will result in continual crumbling of the masonry and the eventual destruction of the entire chimney structure.

Chimney Crown Damage

A chimney crown is your first defense against outdoor elements so when a crown gets cracked, water is able to seep in and if it freezes and thaws it will cause larger cracks in your chimney. A damaged chimney crown allows moisture to seep between the chimney and the chimney liner as wwell as into the chimney which can cause shaling and spalling on your chimney.

To identify this damage you’ll have to visit the rooftop as it is hard to identify by simply looking up at the chimney. A great preventative measure against this type of chimney damage is to waterproof your chimney crown as well as the chimney itself.