Our Company Blog

How Do I Know If My Chimney & Fireplace Need Care?

When you own a home, you take on many responsibilities! This includes maintaining the various systems that keep everything running smoothly in your daily life. Following a routine maintenance schedule is a great way to stay on top of your homeowner duties. However, keeping up with this schedule always adds the possibility of unexpected repair needs. Sometimes it can be easy to see what is causing certain problems in your home. Other times, it can be challenging to locate the problem. Many issues like a cracked chimney liner or flue blockage can be hidden within the walls of the chimney. That’s why its important to know the signs of chimney damage. Atlas Chimney would like to share a couple of signs that let you know that your chimney and fireplace need care.

DAMAGED CHIMNEY MASONRY

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), water can do extensive and expensive damage to masonry chimneys. The exterior of your chimney is constantly exposed to the elements of weather. Bricks and mortar joints naturally absorb water from rain and melted ice and snow, causing spalling damage. Fortunately, this can be easily seen on the exterior of your chimney. Cracked, loose, or missing bricks and mortar joints is a clear sign of water damage – and should be repaired as soon as possible!

SMOKY FIREPLACE

Another sign that your chimney and fireplace need care? Smoke filling the room after you light a fire in the fireplace. This is telling you that something is not allowing your chimney to exhaust properly. A smoky fireplace can become very dangerous! It greatly increases the risk of the toxic gases and carbon monoxide leaking into your living spaces. Several things could be causing this exhaust problem, and Atlas Chimney will carefully check every possibility. We will check to see if there is debris blocking the chimney and also make sure the size of the flue matches your heating appliance – as this can cause improper drafting.

In addition, you should also be on the lookout to signs of a chimney water leak. Signs include a musty odor, peeling wallpaper, and stains on the ceiling and walls around where your fireplace is located. Have you noticed any of these signs of chimney problems? If so, contact us at Atlas Chimney to schedule an appointment for our chimney repair services!

Spalling Brickwork: Why It Happens & How to Fix It

The bricks and mortar used to build chimneys are strong and durable enough to last for years. However, they can suffer from erosion damage, which is also known as spalling. This is from the constant exposure to the elements of weather. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), water can cause extensive and expensive damage to masonry chimneys! That’s why they recommend homeowners take preventive measures to protect their chimneys from water penetration.

For over 25 years, Atlas Chimney has been providing several professional chimney maintenance services. These prevent spalling damage, as well as chimney repair services, to fix any damaged bricks and mortar on your chimney. We would like to tell you more about spalling. In addition, what we can do to repair and prevent this type of chimney masonry damage.

How does spalling occur?

Masonry materials are naturally porous. This means the bricks and mortar of your chimney naturally absorb water every time it rains, sleets, or snows. Since your chimney is constantly exposed to the elements, there could be quite a bit of moisture within the masonry materials, and this causes erosion damage. The majority of spalling damage occurs during the winter, especially during any periods of freezing conditions.

Whenever the temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, the moisture within the bricks and mortar freezes and expands. As the weather warms up, the force of the water thawing causes spalling to happen. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles over the winter can lead to the materials cracking, breaking apart, and even becoming loose from the chimney. These gaps and voids left behind allow more water to penetrate the chimney. This leads to more damage. If not repaired, the structure of your chimney can be in serious jeopardy and can even collapse completely!

How can Atlas Chimney help me with spalling damage?

Is your chimney is missing bricks or mortar joints? If so, our experienced chimney masonry technicians use specialized techniques like tuckpointing to repair the spalling damage. You can trust us to properly restore soundness to the structure of your chimney. By doing this, it prevents water leaks into your chimney and home. To prevent spalling from occurring, we provide professional chimney waterproofing services, which is a smart investment. A vapor permeable formula is applied to your entire chimney. It creates a barrier against water penetration and spalling for at least a decade!

Protect your chimney from extensive and expensive spalling damage. Contact us at Atlas Chimney to schedule an appointment for our professional chimney maintenance and repair services to keep your chimney safe and sound.