Company Blog

3 Ways Water Ruins Your Chimney

Chimneys sure are high, but they are not necessarily dry. As one of Upstate South Carolina’s premier chimney service companies, those of us at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps see water as your chimney’s biggest adversary.

3-Ways-Water-Ruins-Your-Chimney-Spartanburg-Greenville-SC-Blue-Sky-Chimney

You might be able to leave a leaky faucet alone for a while, but a leaky chimney is another story. Small chimney leaks can very quickly lead to big chimney leaks, and big, expensive problems.

Unfortunately, it’s not at all difficult for water to find its way into a chimney that has not been adequately protected from the elements.

While we can certainly find resolutions for your leaking chimney, your best bet will always be to prevent leaks from the beginning. Water intrusion left unmanaged, can cause significant damage to the chimney structure as well as areas adjacent to your chimney. This damage is often expensive to repair.

Here are just a few ways that water can harm your chimney:

  • Water weakens your chimney’s masonry. There are a number of ways that your chimney brick and mortar may react to rainwater.
    Crumbling, cracking, or bricks falling apart altogether.
    Spalling (when the face of the bricks appears to have popped off).
    Holes in header joints
    The more your masonry breaks down in this way the more easily water will be able
    to get into your chimney and, possibly, into your home.Water creates cracks and/or voids inside and out.
  • Water creates cracks and/or voids inside and out. Water can cause both on the inside and the outside of your chimney.
    The relentless freeze/thaw cycle can also cause the bond to break between the brick and the mortar.
    Water washing over the exterior surface of the brick can erode out thin mortar joints.
    Water washing over the inside of your chimney can cause gaps to develop between the flue tiles. This would allow toxic gases attack the brick and mortar of your chimney from the inside out. In some cases it could cause the gases to leak through into your living space instead of venting safely outside.
    In some cases the damage may permit water to get inside your home, where it can stain the walls, ceilings, and floors around the chimney.
  • Water can cause mold, mildew, and lichen to grow on the exterior of the chimney.

If you find yourself dealing with water issues with your chimney, call Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps|Bless Your Hearth at (864) 682-5422 or fill out our online form to make an appointment with us today. We can help!

We are proud members of the South Carolina Chimney Sweep Guild, the North Carolina Chimney Sweep Association, and the National Chimney Sweep Guild. We are certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Fireplace Institute.

 

Let’s Keep the Water Out

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 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.