We Offer Chimney Water Intrusion Treatment (Often Called ‘Waterproofing’) That Can Prolong The Life Of Your Masonry

When it comes to building a strong and durable, well-functioning chimney system, masonry makes for an ideal material. It’s been used in chimney construction for hundreds of years for a reason: masonry is strong and versatile and relatively easy to work with. It’s also permeable, which means that vapors and gases inside the system can escape through the masonry itself.

That permeability is necessary for proper function; however, it also comes with drawbacks. As heat, cold, rain, and snow hit the chimney week after week, month after month, year after year, it takes a toll on the masonry. Even perfect, brand new bricks will absorb a certain amount of moisture. As the bricks and mortar age and start to wear down, they can begin to absorb far more moisture than they should, and that can lead to leaks and more serious damage.

Think of a sponge. When a sponge has reached capacity (can no longer absorb any more water), the water will run out the bottom because of gravity. When a brick structure reaches capacity, the water will run out of it in lower areas much like that sponge. If your house framing is touching the chimney (as it often does, even though it’s not supposed to) the water will follow the path of least resistance until it seeps or drips, potentially causing damage to the interior of your home.

Changing seasons will create particularly severe problems in degraded masonry chimneys. The brick and mortar will absorb excess water, which then constricts and expands inside the masonry. Constriction and expansion can cause deep and wide cracks, flaking, and chipping (spalling) and at its worst, it can even cause bricks to more or less burst from the inside out, creating the need for extensive, and more often than not, expensive repairs for the exterior of your home.

Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps can help minimize the potential for this to happen by protecting your chimney masonry with the application of a water repellent that provides a degree of waterproofing.

Make Your Masonry Last With a Water Repellent

Our technicians will apply a specially-formulated masonry water repellent that’s meant to protect chimneys (providing a degree of waterproofing), while still allowing them to function properly. The water repellent we use is 100-percent vapor-permeable, so it’ll stop water from seeping in through your brick and mortar joints while still allowing vapors and gases that need to escape through the masonry to do so.

The application of a water repellent can seriously reduce the need for repairs, and help your masonry last far longer than it would without this protection. It’s an affordable investment that will bring long-lasting benefits. Ask our technicians to tell you more about how the application of this product can provide the waterproofing properties you are looking for to protect your chimney system!

Protect your chimney and home from water damage by having Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps apply a water repellent to your masonry! Call us today or click here to schedule an appointment online, we’ve got what it takes to “Bless Your Hearth!”

Water repellent being applied to nice red bricks with wand.

Water Repellent Spray on Bricks

 

Fixing a leaky chimney could be as simple as installing a new chimney cap. Ask us for more information today.