First thing’s first – how can you tell if you have a traditional masonry chimney?
The two can look similar due to many prefabs being cased in a simulated brick housing – but there are some key differences. Use the following guidelines to determine which type of chimney you have.
Fireplaces come in two general types: masonry fireplaces and factory built (prefab) fireplaces. To figure out which you have will take only a moment of detective work on your part. A masonry fireplace has a firebox built of individual generally yellowish firebrick, a brick chimney above the roof, and if you look up past the damper you will see a roughly pyramid shaped affair also built of brick. A prefab fireplace generally has a firebox of cast refractory panels, and usually some metal is visible in the room all around the firebox. If you look up past the damper, you will see a round metal chimney. And above the roof is more round metal chimney, sometimes surrounded by a simulated brick housing.
Source: The Chimney Safety Institute of America
Your chimney faces weather exposure, presenting several different safety hazards. Weather damaged flue linings, loose masonry materials and obstructions are all things that can pose a threat to residents. Regular maintenance of your chimney is critical to prevent damage, deterioration and repairs that can be very expensive.
Masonry chimneys are all constructed of a combination of masonry and metal materials such as: brick, mortar, concrete, stone, cast iron, steel and flue tiling. All masonry chimneys have at least some or in some cases all of these components built into them. With the exception of certain types of stone, contact with water can cause an adverse reaction for all of the materials used in masonry chimneys.
Chimney Saver Waterproofing is the best chimney chase sealant on the market, hands down! Spraying the exterior with Chimney Saver seals any moisture from entering the chimney however it allows any moisture already inside to evaporate out of the chase. Purely scientific and perhaps a chimney miracle! Every chimney should be Chimney Saver waterproofed resulting in no future chimney repairs!
Chimney repairs all start with not having a full coverage chimney cap. They keep out the deteriorating rain water that erodes the chimney structure and components. Our chimney caps carry a limited lifetime warranty and are fabricated by us. Our animal proofed screen we install and fabricate with our CNC plasma cutter is the very best in the chimney cap industry. Full coverage means our chimney caps cover the entire chimney top and the first row of brick resulting in low or no chimney repairs.
Top sealing dampers seal out any rain blowing into the chimney cap. More importantly top sealing dampers seal in the A/C and heat from leaving the home as well as keeping out the hot or cold air from entering. Combined with a full coverage chimney cap makes your chimney perfect from any weather entering or interior climate leaving. Chimney Dampers are installed on the flue top with a chain coming down into the firebox.
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The chimney should be solid on top with a bed of smooth mortar holding the chimney top together. Apply Crown Coat to seal the mortar crown for a lifetime warranty the chimney never leaks from the mortar crown. Once sealed the chimney top will never deteriorate or leak, guaranteed for a lifetime no chimney repairs on your mortar crown.
Repairing your chimney cracks is called tuck pointing. Drilling out any cracks and filling them in with as close as possible matching aged mortar. Many times you cannot even tell a chimney repair was even performed on your chimney. Often times tuck pointing the entire chimney is necessary to stop a chimney chase from leaking.
Flashing is a seal that prevents moisture from entering your home at the juncture where the chimney meets the roof.
Your flashing should be secured to the chimney and not bowing out. It should be free from rust or holes. We use FlashSeal to seal the chimney to the flashing and the flashing to the roof. FlashSeal creates a bond that forms a perfect seal from moisture entering the roof, attic, or walls, no future water leak chimney repairs!
Step outs in chimneys need to be covered for a perfect water diversion.
