Our Company Blog

ChimneySaver Saves Your Chimney

Now that Spring is finally here, we get to enjoy some warmer days. However, with spring weather comes spring showers as well. Rain and your chimney does not have a good relationship. When it comes to your chimney, water is not good for it at all. Rain can cause serious problems to the structure of your chimney. At Chim-Cheroo Chimney Service, we want to help you understand just how much damage water can cause, and what you can do to prevent water from entering your chimney system.

Freeze-thaw Cycle

Even though warmer weather is here, it’s not unusual for the weather to dip below freezing, especially at night. This freeze-thaw cycle can have devastating effects on your chimney. When spring rains come, the precipitation permeates the porous mortar and rests in them. When the temperatures dip below freezing again, that moisture freezes and expands and causes the pores to get bigger. As this cycle continues, the pores can get big enough to cause chimney leaks or an unsteady chimney structure altogether.

Damage by Water

When your chimney starts to leak, there are some areas that are more prone to damage than others. For example, when rain trickles down your chimney, it can cause the damper to rust and warp. This also cause the seal to not be as tight. If this happens, outside air can get into your house, and the heated or cooled air from your home can escape, which causes an increase of your energy bill.

Other damage caused by water include rusted fireplace accessories, deteriorating firebox assembly, or a deteriorating chimney liner. You might even notice that the ceiling around your fireplace is soft and saggy, with brown spots. You also might notice the walls around your fireplace is stained and weak or flaky, or that the floorboards are soft and peeling. Any of these signs can mean your chimney is leaking.

What to Do

If you’ve noticed any sign of chimney leaks, the best thing to do is professional chimney waterproofing. At Chim Cheroo Chimney Service, we are just a call away. We can inspect your chimney and look for leaks. After we get the troubled areas fixed, we can then waterproof your chimney. We use ChimneySaver to waterproof chimneys, a vapor permeable solution. There is likely moisture present in your chimney pores. It’s important to pick a product that doesn’t just keep precipitation out, but it also allows remaining moisture to leave. That’s exactly how ChimneySaver is designed to work.

If you’re worried that precipitation is shortening the life of your chimney, give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service a call and we’ll apply ChimneySaver, to save your chimney!

Time to Schedule a Chimney Inspection

Although it seems as though the new year has just begun, it’s already time to rip one page off the calendar and look to the Valentine’s Day holiday! Who can believe that we’re already a month into 2019? It seems as though we were just celebrating the new year, and now it’s time to break out the chocolate and roses and celebrate those you hold nearest to your heart. There’s nothing more romantic than an elegant dinner for two in front of a crackling fire. If you have a family, how about a special meal followed by roasting marshmallows over the snapping flames in your fireplace? There are so many special ways to celebrate and make precious memories! The quickly approaching holiday is just another reminder of how time flies, and that it’s never too early to schedule your annual chimney inspection! Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc is excited to get you on the calendar so that you can have your chimney cleaned early in the spring and get it crossed off your springtime to-do list.

Why A Yearly Inspection is Important

You may be wondering if it’s really so important to have your chimney inspected annually. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), it definitely is. If you have your chimney inspected annually, it’ll be an easy process for us to come in and look around, make sure that everything is running properly and that there is no obvious damage or obstructions, and get rid of any creosote buildup. If, however, you’ve not been as diligent about having your chimney cleaned annually, we may have to do a more thorough inspection. If this is the case, we’ll use our video equipment to take a closer look at the interior of your chimney, looking for cracks and chips in your flue liner, excessive creosote buildup, or even damage from an undetected chimney fire.

Flue Liner

Your flue liner is an important part of your chimney’s anatomy. It protects your chimney from the corrosive effects of wood smoke and also protects the combustibles in your home from the heat of your fire. If this liner has chips or cracks in it, your home is not as protected as it should be. This is just one of the things that the professionals from Chim Cheroo Chimney Service will be looking for when we come in to do your annual inspection.

Creosote Buildup

We’ll also check out the level of creosote that has built up in your chimney. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) states that as little as an eighth of an inch of creosote on the interior of your chimney is enough to catch a spark and cause a major chimney fire.

Call Today

These are just a few of the things that we’ll be looking for when we come in to do your annual inspection and cleaning. It’s not too early to make an appointment for your annual cleaning, so give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service a call today!