Let’s talk chimney health!

See the image above of the Sad Chimney?

Question: What is wrong with that anyway other than being a little dirty on the outside?

Answer:  That black stuff is actually mold that is growing on the brick exterior, eating away at the mortar that is holding everything together. Mold feeds on the weirdest stuff to survive! Things that chimney professionals also see is that there is a good amount of brick mortar that has already fallen out with parts of the actual brick-facing starting to erode (those are the bright red spots). Next up is the “crown” of the chimney – bet you didn’t know your chimney had a crown, huh? That is the flat-ish surface at the very top. The Sad Chimney’s crown is crumbling and falling apart! When rain, ice, and snow seep in through all of those cracks, they freeze (expand and make those racks even worse!) Then the damage heads into the INTERIOR of your chimney that you cannot see… All of these issues are not an easy thing to access from down on the ground looking up. Time to “call in the cavalry” who come armed with chimney repair wisdom and nice tall ladders!

Solution: If you look at the After image, you can see a world of difference! For starters – just look at that ultra tall ladder and our brave Chimney Restorer at work! You can see that the chimney brick has been deep cleaned and restored back to its best look, that the missing mortar has been “repointed” aka reapplied and restored. You can also see a tremendous difference in that crown! It has been deep cleaned, that bad mortar removed and a new flexible, weather proof coating has been smoothly applied.

Bottom line: It is CRAZY expensive to rebuild a crumbling chimney. It is so much easier (and better for your wallet!) to not have to rebuild the thing. Best solution is Preventative Maintenance. Always!

Side Benefit: It is also a fabulous idea to get that chimney (and liner if you have one) professionally swept at the conclusion of each burning season. Why conclusion instead of the beginning of the next heating season? Because if repair work needs to be done to save your chimney, let’s do it in the Spring or Summer months of warm and easy-going weather when both of our calendars are easier to manage and the repair products can cure best without chilly temps and wet or freezing conditions!

And now let’s play a GAME! I post pictures and you decide what needs help!

Fun, right??

Let’s not end on such a depressing note, fair enough?

So here are a few Happy Chimneys that will continue to serve their homeowners well into the next decade!

And now (almost finished, I promise) a few Before / After comparisons!

So, call us today and let us help you keep your chimney healthy and sound for years more of Hearth Happiness!