If you live in a cold area, nothing beats a crackling fire in a cozy fireplace to keep you and your family warm.
While having that fire burning can keep you warm, it can also damage your chimney over time if you don’t take care.
Chimney deterioration can cause health issues and sometimes endanger your life. So, how do you fix a chimney deterioration?
Here are a few tips given by chimney contractors you can use to restore your once functioning chimney.
Clean your chimney
Sometimes, it is not that complicated. A good scrub of your chimney will make it look as good as new.
Usually, chimney deterioration is caused by a build-up of soot. This results from wood smoke or gas combustion mixing with moisture in the flue and condensing on the inner walls of the chimney.
If you have an oil furnace, your chimney is likely exposed to a lot of soot and can result in a dangerous fire. Clean out all the soot from your chimney using a brush and do so at least twice a year to prevent build-up.
Invest in a chimney cap and flue liner
Chimney caps are simple yet effective devices designed to keep out the elements and prevent damage to your chimney walls.
When your chimney is left open, animals, water, and any other elements can enter, leaving debris inside it exposing it to damage.
If you want your chimney to serve you for a long time, consider a chimney cap. An aluminum cap is better because it will not rust easily.
Also, installing a flue liner will make your chimney safer and more efficient because it helps prevent carbon monoxide from entering your home, prevents soot build-up, and keeps your home from potential chimney fires.
Repair all cracks
When it rains, water gets into your chimney and causes deterioration. The first thing to do is find out whether there are any cracks that allow water to sip into your chimney and fix them.
Usually, cracks are in between bricks, and it may not be easy to spot them, given all the soot build-up. Exterior cracks are a bit easier to spot than interior cracks.
If you are unsure how to check for cracks, you need to call a professional. An expert will be able to do a preliminary test and seal all cracks. If the damage is extensive, you may have to replace the cracked bricks with new ones.
Replace loose bricks and mortar
If you live in a cold area, exposure to weather elements, such as wind and rain, can cause your chimney to deteriorate over time.
The joints between the bricks can shift in the foundation and cause loose stones and bricks in the chimney.
You need to remove the affected sections and replace them with new ones to fix this issue.
The issue can, at times, be severe and require you to seek the services of a mason to match the old bricks with new ones correctly.
If you are lucky, you will only replace a few bricks, but in other cases, you may have to rebuild the entire chimney, depending on the extent of the damage.
Bottom Line
Failure to address your chimney issues early enough could expose you and your family to health risks or even a fire outbreak.
To avoid this, ensure you do regular cleaning and check-ups to maintain the state of your chimney and keep the maintenance costs low. You can do the maintenance tasks by yourself but for the best outcome, let the work be handled by an experienced and certified chimney cleaning services Ellicott City.
