Water can cause serious problems to your chimney’s masonry
As your chimney care company, Aelite Chimney Specialties spends a lot of time thinking about prevention. We sweep your chimney to prevent excess creosote buildup, to help prevent fire hazards. We inspect your chimney to stay ahead of damage, so we can help prevent fire hazards, chimney leaks and carbon monoxide intrusion. Ultimately, we just want you to enjoy your hearth appliance in the safest, most efficient and effective way possible.
We’re always here to talk with you about the many potential problems that can arise in your chimney. And since water is your chimney’s most consistent enemy, a lot of what we do and talk about is centered around arming your chimney to fight water off. Here, three ways that water can cause serious damage to your chimney, and what Aelite Chimney Specialties can do to repair, remediate or protect against it:
Water Erodes Your Masonry
If you have an older chimney, this is more of a concern for you. Think about river stones: They start ragged and craggy, but over years of water rolling over their surfaces, they’ll get worn smooth as glass. So year upon year, rainstorm after melting snow, your chimney masonry can fall prey to the same effect: moisture wearing the surface down. That can mean receded or damaged mortar joints, or worn bricks that begin to absorb moisture like a sponge, carrying it through to the inside of your flue (possibly the inside of your home, too).
What Aelite Chimney Specialties Does To Stop It:
If your damage is centered around your mortar joints, we’ll repair those joints with a process called tuck pointing, carefully removing those damaged joints and replacing them with fresh, strong new joints. If your bricks are worn and absorbing excess moisture, we can apply a waterproofing sealant that stops that absorption and protects the masonry going forward. (We highly recommend waterproofing if your masonry isn’t damaged too, because it can prevent that kind of wear from happening).
Water Rusts Your Metal Parts
Your masonry chimney has a mix of non-masonry components, from your metal chimney cap and chimney flashing to your throat damper. And those components don’t like water any more than your masonry does. Chimney leaks can cause your throat damper’s plate to corrode, get stuck or crack. Corroded chimney flashing can create a leaky chimney. If you have a pre-fabricated system with a rusty chimney chase cover, leaks are likely there too.
What Aelite Chimney Specialties Does To Stop It:
When metal components are damaged, we can install proper replacements. Beyond that, we can also point you to more durable options — stainless steel and copper, for instance, stand strong against water far longer than galvanized metal.
Water Gives Mold What It Needs To Grow
A chimney leak is a problem in and of itself, but leaks can also bring along a secondary problem: mold growth. Mold feeds on moisture, so when moisture is consistently present inside your chimney, it becomes a welcome home for spores to grow and thrive. Chimney mold is a serious concern — exposure has been linked to triggering asthma attacks, causing skin rashes and allergic factions and a variety of other problems.
What Aelite Chimney Specialties Does To Stop It:
Our technicians are trained to safely and thoroughly remediate mold growth. But more importantly, we can troubleshoot to find what’s causing your chimney leak, and make the repairs necessary to stop feeding that mold — which is really the key to stopping your problem.
If you have any questions about moisture problems, chimney leaks or anything else related to your chimney system, Aelite Chimney Specialties team members are always glad to help our valued clients. Just give us a call!