Our Company Blog

Prevent a Leaky Chimney with Our Waterproofing Services

When it is summertime in Austin, the last thing on your mind is your chimney and fireplace. However, we tend to also get heavy rains during the summer season, and this leads to water leaking into your chimney. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), preventing water penetration of masonry chimneys is one of the biggest maintenance responsibilities for homeowners.

In order to ensure that your chimney has the ultimate protection against water leak damage is to schedule a water leak chimney inspection appointment with a CSIA-certified professional. For over 25 years, Atlas Chimney has been providing excellent chimney maintenance, repair, and installation services to the area. You can count on us to give you a fair and honest assessment of the water penetration preventive services. We would like to tell you more about the service that we recommend the most to our customers: waterproofing.

Why does my chimney need a waterproofing treatment?

Masonry materials like concrete, bricks, and mortar joints are porous, which means they naturally absorb water when it rains or snows. The constant exposure to the elements can cause masonry materials to become damaged. This damage is accelerated during the winter. Whenever the temperature drops below freezing, any moisture trapped inside masonry materials will freeze and expand. As the water thaws, it can cause the bricks and mortar joints to crack, crumble, become loose, and fall from the chimney structure.

This is the freeze/thaw cycles, and it can lead to extensive spalling damage. If you don’t address this damage, it could jeopardize the stability of the chimney. A professional waterproofing treatment from Atlas Chimney can protect your masonry chimney against this type of damage and deterioration.

How does waterproofing work?

After our team inspect your chimney and makes the necessary masonry repairs, we will scrub the exterior clean. We will then apply a coating of the best waterproofing treatment available on the market, ChimneySaver. We love this product, as it is specifically made for masonry chimneys. You can trust us to never use any sealant formula to waterproof your chimney.

The ChimneySaver treatment is 100 percent vapor permeable, so you will not have to worry about more masonry damage occurring. Once we finish applying this treatment to your entire exterior chimney, our work is covered under a 10-year warranty. This means you have at least a decade of the ultimate protection against water penetration chimney damage.

At Atlas Chimney, we also provide other water penetration preventive services such as chimney cap installation and flashing repair and construction. To make sure your chimney can stand up to water damage, contact us today to schedule an appointment!

What Is Chimney Flashing & Why Is It So Important?

Keeping water out of your chimney is one of the most important maintenance responsibilities you have as a homeowner. The amount of damage and deterioration that water can do to a masonry chimney is extensive! Not to mention, the repairs can be very expensive. Neglecting those repairs can lead to serious structural problems, including the collapse of the chimney. How do you avoid this hazardous situation? By preventing water penetration of your masonry chimney. Atlas Chimney provides several different professional water penetration preventive services to protect your masonry chimney. For over 25 years, our Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)-certified chimney technicians have been taking care of chimneys in the Austin area. So, you know you can trust our experience and professionalism. We would like to tell you more about chimney flashing, one of these preventive services we offer.

What exactly is chimney flashing?

The area where your chimney meets the roof is very vulnerable to water leaks. This is why a customized flashing system is the best way to protect this spot! Consisting of metal sheeting that is strategically layered around the chimney, a properly constructed flashing system provides a barrier against water penetration. How do you successfully keep water from entering the chimney at the roof? Well, there must be two layers of flashing in place, according to This Old House. The first layer of metal sheeting, step flashing, is attached to the shingles of the roof and lapped up the sides of the chimney. Counter-flashing, the second layer, is installed into the mortar joints and folded over to cover the step flashing. After the layering is complete, the corners are reinforced by applying high-quality urethane caulk to seal any gaps.

Why is flashing so important?

Without a flashing system to protect it, the area where the chimney meets the roof can be a place where water accumulates during and after a rainfall. This can lead to water leaking into the chimney. Water leaks can do a great deal of damage to your chimney and your home. This damage includes the corrosion of the metal components, including:

• the liner and damper
• spalling of the bricks and mortar
• rotting of the wooden structure around the chimney
• staining of the ceiling and walls in the room of your fireplace

Avoiding this damage is why it is so important to protect your chimney with a professionally built customized flashing system!

Not only does Atlas Chimney provide flashing construction and repair services. In addition, we can also prevent water penetration by waterproofing your chimney. Contact us today to keep water out of your chimney!