Both in older and newer homes, chimneys function to drive toxic gasses, fumes and smoke out of your home. So, regular checking and maintenance are vital for any homeowner. By hiring the right professionals who have the experience, knowledge, and tools to clean, repair, renovate or rebuild your chimney the right way ensures your safety and looks of the exterior of your home. For chimney repair Brampton, contact professionals of Best Stucco.
Signs That It’s Time for a Chimney Repair or Replacement
- Efflorescence staining: While white discoloration can be removed by DIYing them on their own, they are signs of deeper problems- excessive moisture in the masonry which can only be detected and repaired in the meantime, premature deterioration of your chimney will happen.
- Rust: If there is rust in your firebox, chimney, or damper, it’s because there are cracked flue tiles inside the chimney causing excessive moisture. Rusts are not visible easily, if the damper doesn’t seal or operate properly, or if rust shows it means the damage has matured. For such chimney repair Brampton, call professional chimney sweepers of Best Stucco who will use a special camera to locate the dislocation of flue lining and repair it before your home catches on fire.
- Damaged mortar joints: Damaged mortar joints in winters can lead to collapsing of the entire chimney. When the mortar cracks deteriorate in winters, the moisture freezes inside the chimney and thaws, creating larger cracks. If seen, repair immediately.
- Shaling: Flue lining acts as the safe channeling of operation between the firebox and chimneys. Annual chimney inspection should be done by professional chimney sweepers with their special camera if pieces of flue tiles are found in the firebox.
- Deteriorated wallpaper: Damaged or discolored wallpaper means there is excessive moisture in the chimney or flue. Repair them immediately before colder months come.
- Spalling: If you notice pieces or flakes of bricks or stones at the bottom of the chimney structure, it’s because moisture has entered the masonry. Replace the masonry immediately before the whole thing collapses.
- Chimney crown damage: The crown is the first weapon of defense against hard weather. If the crown cracks and moisture seeps into the chimney and freezing the moisture inside; creates larger cracks. Weatherproofing the chimney crown by masons is the only defense for this.
How to maintain chimneys
- For wood-burning fireplaces, clean excess ashes and place them in metal sealed containers away from your home. Do leave a bed of ash to ignite new fires.
- Check the inside of your firebox, grate for missing mortar joints. Check the exterior of chimneys for crumbling brickwork, missing bricks, vegetation, gaps.
- Remember to keep the damper open before lighting a fire to prevent smoke from entering your home.
- Accumulate woods 6 months to 1 year in advance before using them for the firebox, Don’t use painted wood, debris, other trash or pressure-treated woods to prevent less-combustible materials from collecting in chimneys.
- Use the top-down burn method to produce less smoke.
- Get your chimney inspected once a year by chimney professionals.
Pros and cons of chimney repairing
Pros:
- Historic homes have chimneys which add to more charm and character than newer ones. Owners of older homes must repair chimneys to retain that charm.
- If the original materials are reusable, rebuilding a chimney can be cheaper as old stonework or brickwork is usually maintained just the way they are with a few modifications.
- If the original materials are hard to source in recent times, professional masons will go as far as disassembling and cleaning everything to rebuild the chimney.
Cons:
- Newer chimneys are more energy-efficient and compliment the modern looks of homes. So, it’s better to build a new chimney than repair old ones.
- To rebuild chimneys, contractors will be in your home for a long time, to disassemble, clean, reuses old material, and rebuild, making the labor cost higher. This is not pocket-friendly or feasible for work-from-home employees.
Conclusion
At Stucco Repair, we offer sealing, tuckpointing, mortar joint sealing, masonry works for fireboxes, chimneys. Get a free quote by joining our website and decide whether to repair your old chimney or construct a new one at our competitive prices for premium service.
