by Billy Sweet | Sep 18, 2016 | Chimney Masonry Maintenance
Your chimney system is made of many working parts, that together do a very important job. Without your chimney the byproducts from your fire would be released into your home, causing health risk and increased chance of 
fire. An important part of the chimney that keeps it working properly is the chimney crown, and it should not be overlooked.
What is a Chimney Crown
The chimney crown is a masonry slab that covers the top of the chimney from the flue liner to the edge of the chimney. The crown is designed to keep water from entering the flue, and guides the water instead to the roof. The chimney cap prevents water from entering the flue from the sky, and the crown prevents water from entering the flue from the edge of the chimney.
The chimney crown should be professionally installed, and is made specifically for each chimney. If the chimney crown is not the correct size or installed incorrectly then water will not only enter the flue, but can also pool around the chimney and penetrate the flashing.
Water and Your Chimney
Water damage is the single worst enemy of your masonry chimney. It can cause parts to rust, masonry to weaken and crumble, walls and ceilings to leak, and more. Avoid this costly damage by getting the job done right the first time.
Hire a Professional
A general contractor may be unfamiliar with chimneys, chimney crowns, and other vital chimney parts. To ensure that you’re getting the proper taper, overhang, and materials call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep. A proper chimney crown should be constructed of a Portland cement-based mixture and cast or formed so it provides an overhang projecting behind all sides of the chimney by a minimum of two inches. Also, the flue liner should project above the crown a minimum of two inches.
A CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) can not only construct a proper chimney crown, but is also experienced in assessing damaged crowns as well as repairing them.
Signs Your Chimney Crown Needs Repairs
Cracks, crumbled masonry, or chipping and flaking—known as spalling—as well as chimney leaks and leaks around the crown itself is cause for repair. An experienced and professional chimney sweep can assess damage and offer a fair rate to repair or replace the chimney crown. If damages are not extensive, our technician can apply a simple crown coat sealant, which will seal cracks, creating a water-proof barrier.
Your trusted chimney sweep will quickly assess damage and offer a repair plan that you can feel comfortable with. Our top priority at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep is the safety of our customers. We do not cut corners with training, experience, or work. We are licensed, ensured, and guarantee the best.
Call a Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep today, and make sure your chimney crown is ready for fall and winter!
by Billy Sweet | May 9, 2016 | Masonry Chimney
There’s more to masonry than meets the eye. A masonry chimney is made up of masonry materials and metal materials, including brick, mortar, concrete, stone, flue tile, steel, and cast iron. These materials are damaged significantly by water penetration and other natural occurrences. This damage can range from cosmetic to structural, and all is better prevented than repaired.
Leakage
Chimney leaks are preventable with routine inspections and maintenance. Home owners should make it a top priority to schedule these routine checks because a professional will see a problem long before it presents itself to the untrained eye. Often times, by the time a leak is noticed by the homeowner, it’s already caused extensive water damage. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) water penetration can cause serious damage, including: rusted damper assemblies, fireplace accessories, and glass doors; deteriorated metal or masonry firebox assemblies, and central heating system; rotted adjacent wood, ruined wall coverings, and decayed exterior mortar; water-stained walls and ceiling; clogged clean-out area; stained chimney exterior; cracked or damaged flue lining; collapsed hearth support; tilted or collapsed chimney structure; and chimney settlement. These problems can be avoided by scheduling your waterproofing appointment today.
Cracking
Cracks are often due to expansion and structural settlement, but can also be due to issues with the mortar. When mortar is the problem a professional may need to repair the mortar joints, repoint, or tuck-point the masonry. Preventative measures for cracking would be to hire a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) during construction or remodel to insure the chimney is of proper proportions and standards.
Spalling
Spalling means bricks are falling from your masonry, or they are missing. This is caused when water penetrates the masonry and worsens by a process of freezing and thawing. Spalling can also be caused by structural stress. It is a hazard when bricks fall from the chimney, as a falling brick can injure a person or damage the exterior of your home. There are other kinds of masonry damage that is more cosmetic than dangerous.
Staining
The most common cause of staining is water damage. Excessive amounts of water traveling through the masonry can cause staining on the exterior of the chimney. This can be undesirable, especially if a homeowner is interested in selling. A professional can correct these stains by refacing the bricks.
Displacement
Displacement is a structural problem that is caused from inadequate anchors for lateral support, freezing action, and corrosion of steel support. Displacement causes the masonry to essentially shift. This can be a costly fix, as it is a structural problem, but like spalling, displacement can be prevented by working with a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) during construction. Extensive damage may call for a chimney rebuilt.
Your whole chimney system is made up largely of masonry. It’s an intricate system, dependent on a very specific science of gases and temperature. This wouldn’t work without an adequate masonry chimney. It’s important to get the most out of your chimney by keeping up with routine chimney sweeps and annual chimney inspections. Contact Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep for yours today.
by Billy Sweet | Nov 28, 2015 | Freeze Thaw Cycle
You’re likely familiar with the damage the freeze-thaw cycle can do to the roadways; it’s what causes pot holes to appear each year! Water makes its way into the tiny cracks in concrete, asphalt, or stone. When the temperature drops, that water freezes and expands, causing the concrete, asphalt, or stone to crack or crumble. If you have a home with a masonry chimney, you should be aware that the freeze-thaw cycle can cause the same damage to your chimney’s bricks, concrete, and mortar.
Water damage and your chimney
Water can cause many problems with your chimney. The freeze-thaw cycle can cause the mortar between your chimney to crumble; it can cause parts of your brick to flake off, which is referred to as spalling; and it can cause your chimney crown to crack and crumble. Over time, if water damage goes unaddressed, it can mean major problems for your chimney. Your chimney’s overall structure can fail, causing it to lean and become unsafe. A damaged chimney also will let water into the rest of your home, leading to water stains on your ceiling and walls, rotting wood on adjacent structures, collapsed hearth support, a damaged firebox, rusted fireplace accessories, and failing hearth structure.
Repairing water damage
The first step in repairing water damage is to find that damage. This is one reason your annual chimney inspection is so important. Your certified chimney technician can find signs of damage early, so that it can be repaired before minor water damage becomes major water damage. In many cases, it will take the work of expert masons, like those at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep to repair your chimney’s water damage. We provide services such as tuckpointing, chimney crown repair and replacement, and removing and replacing spalling bricks.
Preventing water damage
When it comes to water damage and your chimney, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Taking steps to prevent chimney damage now can save you from costly repairs later. Having a chimney cap installed atop your flue can help keep water from running down the interior walls of your chimney. Repairing a damaged chimney crown will keep water from running down the exterior sides of your chimney. It’s important to make sure the flashing around your chimney is secure, and if your chimney is located on a part of your roof that experiences a lot of rainwater or snow, a cricket — a tent-shaped piece of metal — can be installed to divert water away from the chimney. There also are waterproofing sealants that can be applied to your chimney. Those sealants keep water from seeping into your chimney’s masonry while still allowing your chimney to expel the gases created by your fires.
Ultimately, the key to protecting your chimney from water damage is working with your certified chimney sweep to make sure that any problems are caught and addressed early before you have major chimney damage. If you’re overdue for an inspection, or if you’ve noticed cracking masonry on your chimney, call the experts at Billy Sweet today. We also can talk to you about waterproofing applications to protect your chimney.
by Billy Sweet | Jul 15, 2014 | Chimney Maintenance
Water should’t be allowed to seep inside your chimney. Many chimney-related problems start with water intrusion.
A lot of what we do for our clients at Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep roots in prevention. We sweep your chimney regularly to prevent excess creosote build-up and potential fire hazards. We install chimney caps to prevent rain and snow from diving right into your flue opening. We apply waterproofing sealant to your masonry to prevent excess moisture intrusion and moisture damage. We inspect your chimney system every year in part to prevent lots of things: draft issues, water or carbon monoxide leaks, even just to prevent small problems from becoming larger, more troubling and more expensive problems.
If it seems like a big part of our preventative efforts are focused on fighting water, you’re right, and there’s good reason for that. Left unchecked, moisture intrusion can cause extensive damage to your chimney system and the exterior and interior building materials around them.
Want a deeper look into how much trouble water can be? Here are three ways water can ruin (or at least significantly damage) your chimney:
“The Freeze/Thaw Cycle”
We all know that water expands when it freezes — you only have to forget you put a glass bottle of soda or beer in the freezer once to brand that messy lesson into your mind. Let’s think about how that can pertain to a chimney. Over years of being exposed to the elements, your masonry can develop some small cracks, whether that’s in your mortar joints or chimney crown, or in your bricks themselves. Moisture can make its way into those small cracks and sit there as the temperature drops. Once it reaches freezing temperatures, that water freezes and expands, straining against the masonry material — and more often than not, the ice wins, causing your masonry to crack, flake and crumble (called spalling). Over time, that can leave you with enough damage to need your whole chimney crown rebuilt, or extensive repairs on your chimney stack.
To avoid extensive spalling and other damage related to the freeze/thaw cycle, Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep technicians aim to repair all cracks and imperfections while they’re still small, whether that means applying a crown coat seal to your chimney crown or tuck pointing your damaged mortar joints. It’s one of the many benefits of keeping up with your annual chimney inspections — we’ll be able to keep on top of issues before they turn into huge hassles.
Corrosion And Rust
We know what happens when metal and moisture collide, too: dark red rust and crumbly corrosion. Since several components in your chimney system are made of metal, rust and corrosion are a concern too. If, say, your chimney cap is missing and moisture is making its way into your flue, it might repeatedly soak your metal throat damper — the part that lets you open and close your flue when you are or aren’t using your fireplace. A rusted throat damper can get stuck, or its plate can corrode and break. Rusted chimney flashing or chase covers can allow moisture to damage the interior of your chimney and your home too.
Chimney inspections are another important part of preventing this kind of damage. But beyond that, we also recommend that clients with galvanized metal components look at replacements made with more durable materials — like stainless steel and copper — which won’t have that kind of vulnerability to rust and corrosion.
Chimney Mold
Mold growth doesn’t really “ruin” your chimney, but it’s absolutely a problem you need to be aware of, since exposure to mold is linked to a variety of health issues, from respiratory problems and allergic reactions and triggering asthma episodes. Mold feeds on moisture, so if a leak develops in your chimney, mold can get a chance to grow and proliferate. Mold remediation is a two-pronged process: We need to get rid of the mold, and we need to repair the leak that was feeding the mold. Billy Sweet technicians are trained in the safe and proper removal of mold, and we can also find and repair any damage that’s leading to leaks. We can also talk with you about some preventative measures that can help you avoid leaks, like chimney waterproofing.
If you have any concerns or questions about water and its relationship with your chimney, we’re always here to help. Give Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep a call!
by Billy Sweet | Apr 13, 2013
Seeking Chimney Services in North Shore Area of Massachusetts? Give Us a Call We love that we get the opportunity to serve folks living in the North Shore area of Massachusetts. There’s no denying this part of the state has a lot to offer. Whether you’re...
