Your chimney is an important aspect of your home’s overall visual design. From the time you step foot on the property from the curb, to the interior design flow, the chimney acts as a nice central location. When purchasing a home with a chimney, there is still a bit of maintenance that you have to deal with. This includes focusing on waterproofing the chimney, and it comes with a few details that you should know about. Of course, it’s imperative to hire a professional to get through all of the points of keeping water out, but you should be aware of what they are specifically.
Flashing and Roofing
Your roof is vital to protecting the home from leaks. The chimney is basically a large hole in the ceiling that has to be properly waterproofed to prevent water damage. This starts with flashing, which is usually a metal element that is put into place around the chimney to protect the masonry or other materials that make up your fireplace’s outer layers.
Chimney Caps
The opening of your chimney needs to have protection and that comes with several options. This will keep rain from going directly into the opening and causing problems inside the chimney. A chimney cap also prevents small animals and birds from making homes in the chimney while it is not in use. The last thing you want is for a deluge of water to come through the fireplace and into your living room. There’s a wide variety of chimney caps, it’s all a matter of what you want in terms of visual design, as the function is usually the same across all options.
Filling Bricks and Fixing Cracks
Over time, even the best maintained brick home will start to show signs of decay. Bricks and masonry in general aren’t meant to last forever. It’s for that reason that a professional needs to be called for inspection and repairs from time to time. That means fixing spalling or broken bricks, filling in cracks in the mortar, and making sure that erosion is not taking flight within the areas that are most vulnerable to Mother Nature.
Remember, just one crack could lead a stream of water droplets to come into the fireplace. That could cause water damage, and that of course leads to several other issues including mold, rot, and more. Small cracks become very large cracks due to the freeze-thaw cycle that winter brings. Waterproofing the chimney is extremely important if you want to prevent damage to the chimney.
There are several other elements that come to mind in regards to waterproofing your chimney, but the above are some of the most prominent. You want to have these points in place, and if not, hire one of our experts at Lou Curley’s Chimney Service to help guide you through the protection, repair, and maintenance that comes along with chimney ownership. Done right, you will have no worries about whether or not water is seeping into your home via the chimney.