The exterior of your chimney is exposed to the best and the worst of what nature dishes out. Beating sun, heavy rainfall, snow, sleet, and wind – through it all, your chimney stands, tall and strong. But even though it isn’t always visually evident, these natural elements can be causing damage to your chimney’s exterior. If this damage is left unchecked, you may be looking at expensive repairs Repairing Your Chimney's Exterior- Mansfield OH- Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc-w800-h597that you haven’t planned for.

Water: An Unexpected Offender

Water damage is one of the most common causes of the need for extensive chimney repair. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, “All masonry chimney construction materials, except stone, will suffer accelerated deterioration as a result of prolonged contact with water.” The mortar in your chimney is especially affected by the freeze thaw process. When precipitation lands on your chimney, it can seep into the small cracks that have formed over the years. When this water freezes, it expands and causes these cracks to expand. This cycle continues over the years, and eventually the mortar can wear away and loosen the bricks of your chimney. This same process can also cause deterioration and cracking to occur in your chimney crown; if the damage this causes to the crown is too severe, it will either need to be repaired or replaced.

Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing is one type of repair that your chimney may need. In the tuckpointing process, the crumbling mortar between the bricks in your chimney is removed and replaced with new mortar; this new mortar is tucked between the joints of the chimney, making your chimney strong and secure once again.

If tuckpointing sounds like a do-it-yourself job, think again. There are special tools involved in tuckpointing that not only make the job easier, but also ensure that the job is done correctly, according to regulations, and without causing more damage to your chimney. Also, experts in tuckpointing will be sure to match your current mortar and do a neat job so that your repaired chimney will look as striking as when it was new. CSIA certified professionals like those at Chim Cheroo Chimney Service will work hard to make sure that you are completely satisfied with the look of your chimney and that your chimney is repaired according to federal standards.

Rebuilding Your Chimney

Chimneys should be inspected on a yearly basis, but we all know that time sometimes gets away from us! If you have missed out on scheduling inspections for a year or two, or maybe more, you may be in need of more than just a simple repair job. There may be times when structural damage has occurred and a potentially dangerous situation exists. In this case, a rebuild may be necessary. The professionals at Chim Cheroo can be counted on to give you an honest assessment of what needs to be done to bring your chimney up to standards and to leave your chimney working and looking like new.

Schedule an inspection with one of Chim Cheroo’s CSIA certified technicians to determine what work needs to be done to get your chimney working safely and efficiently. You’ll be glad to leave the work in their trustworthy hands!