Your Masonry Chimney and You!
A masonry chimney is one of the most vital part of our homes that is also one of the top forgotten items when it comes to property upkeep and maintenance. Masonry chimneys are be made of brick or stone and mortar. A home has a chimney because it is a vented path for items such as; fireplace, furnace/boiler, water heater, etc... These are meant to guide the carbon emissions/gas fumes up and out of the home as safely as possible, to prevent a hazardous living environment.Over time, like other man made structures, the chimney will deteriorate and can be impacted greatly by the environment. When you experience a harsh storm it is natural to look around the outside of the home for siding, foundation or roof damages. Make sure to look at your chimney as well. The chimney is often the highest point of the home and as such is the most susceptible to lightning strikes. If you have large overhanging trees, a branch can cause more damage than you would think. The wind can cause the branches to strike the chimney several times a day over an extended period of time.
Sometimes chimney repairs are easily spotted from the exterior but in some cases an inspection to check the interior conditions of flue or liner is recommended. A small hairline crack this Summer that just needs a little tuckpointing, could turn into a partial or complete rebuild by next Summer. You can never know what tomorrow will bring but we can bring our experience and knowledge to provide you with a quote for repairs that are needed.
Sounding like a broken record... All of our wonderful Masonry Foreman still wish to remind you to get your chimney inspected annually to ensure that it is in good working order or gets the repairs that are needed so your chimney is working properly. Wisconsin is a state with one of the higher freeze/thaw cycles in the US! This means that the water is expanding and contracting on and/or in all surfaces it lands on. This can lead to faster masonry deterioration on a chimney system that is not in good shape. Chimneys that are not in good condition are at a greater risk of; water leaking, animal and pest infiltrations or greater hazardous health factors which can be but not limited to: system and/or lining collapse, uncontained chimney fire and CO2 exposure. Having your chimney checked every year will bring you peace of mind…
