Spring is here! It’s the time for deep down cleaning, repainting, washing windows, and making some changes to the interior of your home. It’s fun to go out and enjoy summer activities, knowing that when you return, your freshly cleaned house will be waiting for you. However, when is the last time that you looked at the exterior of your home, and most importantly your chimney? Believe it or not, the exterior of your chimney is just as important to take care of as is the interior of your home. In fact, in some cases, even more so! This is because if repairs are left undone, you may have structural damage or even a chimney fire just waiting to happen.
Visual Inspection
When you take a close look at your chimney, there are some definite signs of damage to watch for. One thing to look for is crumbling mortar. There are different things that can cause your mortar to deteriorate. Things such as heavy precipitation or just plain wind and weathering. When the occasional freeze occurs, your mortar is particularly susceptible to the freeze/thaw cycle. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America website, “(M)asonry materials deteriorate quickly when exposed to the freeze/thaw process, in which moisture that has penetrated the materials periodically freezes and expands causing undue stress.” As the moisture in the pores in your mortar freezes, it will expand and cause even larger pores and cracks to appear. That kind of abuse leads to serious structural damage!
How to Repair Crumbling Mortar
Do you detect signs of crumbly, flaking mortar? If so, it is definitely time to call in an expert chimney technician! They will evaluate how far along the deterioration process is and what can be done to save your chimney. He will probably recommend tuckpointing, which is also known as brickpointing or repointing. This process involves removing the old, crumbly mortar and putting new mortar in its place. If you’ve caught the deterioration early, chances are you’ll only need parts of your chimney tuckpointed. Unfortunately, if the condition of the mortar is too far gone, you may have to consider major reconstruction.
Who to Call
When you are considering hiring someone to tuckpoint your chimney, there are some things to consider. First, this is definitely not a do-it-yourself job, as special tools are required. Also, it’s important to call a company that will take care to match the type and color of mortar that was originally used on your chimney. This is so that the repaired areas don’t stand out. In other words, you want to hire someone from Chimney Sweep Plus!
When you hire the professionals from Chimney Sweep Plus, you’re getting more than just an impersonal repair job. Chimney Sweep Plus is a member of the North Carolina Chimney Sweep Association, and they take great pride in treating every job as if they were working on their own homes. This caring approach ensures that any repair job they undertake, including tuckpointing, will be completed at the highest level of quality available. So if you notice signs of deterioration in your mortar, give Chimney Sweep Plus a call!
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