If you don’t want to have numerous problems with the maintenance and repair of your chimney, make sure it is protected from water intrusion.
If you’d rather not have pesky problems or unwanted costly repairs to your chimney, protecting it from water intrusion is a good proactive approach.
According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), water is your chimney’s worst enemy. The amount of damage water, from a leaky chimney, may be able to do to your home can be monumental. From the first early signs of water penetration such as black mold staining on exterior surfaces and cracks in the crown wash to more serious symptoms such as staining on ceilings, water intrusion can be frustrating at best. If you have a masonry chimney, you may notice problems such as deteriorated mortar joints and loose bricks around the top of the chimney or even the face of brick breaking off (spalling). When water gets into your chimney during winter months, the freezing causes expansion and then the thawing can cause flaking, cracks and bond breaks. Fortunately we, at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps, are ready to battle water penetrating your chimney. Contact us to help you with a few of the following tactics to keep the water out.
Chimney Caps
An important piece in keeping water out of your chimney is a chimney cap. A full-coverage chimney cap with an overhanging lid with drip edge (to direct water away from the sides of the chimney structure) and animal guard/spark arrester will accomplish important tasks like protecting your chimney from water and intruding animals as well as keeping sparks from starting a fire on the roof. Chimney caps come in a variety of different materials, mounting options and lid types. Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps offers various chimney caps and our certified professionals can help pick out the right design and fit for your chimney. Our staff at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps can show you options and install your new cap for you.
Flashing
Playing a key role in protecting your chimney from water intrusion, flashing keeps water from entering the roof area around the seams where your chimney meets the roof, when it is correctly fitted and installed. Providing professional custom flashing construction and installation, our technicians at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps are trained in the inspection process and the construction of traditional metal flashing as well as flexible flashing.
Waterproofing
The ultimate in water penetration protection, waterproofing your chimney can interrupt the deterioration process and minimize the need for repairs as well as potentially extend the life of your chimney. Using expertise and experience, our specialists at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps use a waterproofing sealant especially made for masonry chimneys that is 100% vapor permeable. This is important because it allows your chimney to “breathe” by letting vapors and gases escape while protecting the masonry from water intrusion. Waterproofing is an investment that many find saves dollars by avoiding future repair work to fix damaging erosion from exposure to water.
Keeping water out of your fireplace and chimney structure, an important task in maintaining and prolonging the life of your chimney, is a job Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps takes seriously. Schedule an appointment with one of our CSIA-certified technicians today to begin protecting your chimney from water penetration.