6 Signs That Your Chimney Needs Repair

info@dotcomdesign.com (Josh Krueger) — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Majority of us always assume or take for granted the importance of taking care of our chimneys. We tend to perceive this type of structure as just any other part of the house and pay little or no attention to it at all. However, chimneys, just like any other structures in the house encounter problems that have to be handled. They are man-made and prone to wear and tear. Without renovating them on time, they may fall down and cause serious injuries to people or nearby properties. Here are some warning signs that your chimney needs some repair.

1. White Staining

If you happen to see some white color on a chimney, or efflorescence as it is known, then there are higher chances that your chimney is damaged and needs some urgent attention. While some people are known to remove such discoloration by cleaning only, such may not be the solutions at all. White substances on the chimney may be the early signs that your chimney has excess moisture. Here, immediate attention needs to be accorded to the chimney to avoid further harm.

2. Rust

Your chimney should not display any signs of rust at all. However, if you happen to locate elements of rust in your chimney, there are high chances that your chimney is terribly damaged and in need of immediate repair. Rust may damage your chimney and cause it to fall down. If you spot some rust in your chimney, contact chimney experts to repair it immediately.

3. Shaling

It will come to a point when you notice thin slices of chimney tiles collecting in the fire place. This is a clear indication that the flue is damaged. In a chimney, flue lining is essential as it assists in the safe operation of a fireplace and chimney. However, if you notice that there are slices of your chimney in the fireplace, it is obvious that your flue lining has a problem. To prevent further deterioration, reach out to professional chimney sweeps that can help you repair your chimney.

4. Worsening Mortar Joints

After some time, mortar joints that hold the bricks of your wall together will start becoming loose. This will expose the bricks to excess moisture, and aspect that may make the whole chimney to become weak. If some of these chimneys are in places that witness freezing weather conditions, the added moisture may end up freezing inside of cracks in masonry, leading to further cracks. If nothing is done to repair the damaged mortar fast, the entire chimney may collapse, an aspect that may be dangerous to people and the property around.

5. Spalling

Over time, due to excess usage, chimneys begin peeling off, chipping or, or flaking off. A clear indication of this is when you find some small stone particles around the bottom part of the chimney. If you want to start a fire and you see small stone or particles of cement around the bottom part of your chimney, chances are that the hot flames might have weakened part of your chimney. Call for repair services immediately.

6. Damaged Wallpaper

Majority of chimneys are designed with wallpapers around them. Wallpapers are beautiful and appealing to the eye. However, these wallpapers may help you understand whether you need to repair your chimney or not. If you find the wallpapers damaged, they could have easily been damaged by moisture inside the chimney. Again, this is a clear indication that there is a leak in your chimney that needs to be repaired immediately. Do not delay when you notice damaged wallpapers. Early repairs to the chimney should be made as fast as possible before continuing to use the fireplace. By so doing, you may end up saving your chimney from crumbling down.

5 Issues You Need To Be Aware Concerning Tuckpointing

info@dotcomdesign.com (Josh Krueger) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Brick, stone, or block may last up to 100 years. The mortar joints mainly last for around 20 to 30 years depending on their exposure to different weather conditions. One of the most common forms of repair at this time is mainly tuckpointing. If you happen to see cracks in your mortar or some evidence of damage caused by water, you may ask yourself, "Do I need to have my mortar joints repaired, and when is it a good time to start repairing them?" This a good question that can easily be answered. Below is a list of the most important things you need to know about tuckpointing.

1. Tuckpointing: What Is It After all?

In general terms, tuckpointing are the steps followed when carrying out maintenance and subsequent repairs of mortar joints in either brick walls or stone wall. This process is mainly done by either grinding or raking out the existing mortar up to a certain depth. After that, the open space is filled up with new and strong mortar. This is a labor-intensive process, and an excellent masonry firm does not need to be faced with difficulties in advising clients when such services need to be undertaken.

2. When is it necessary to Tuckpoint?

Whenever you suspect that the mortar in your wall is beginning to deteriorate and may have to be taken care of in terms of repair, there is a small and simple test that you can perform before taking the phone and calling the contractor. You can sharp object and rub or pass it through the mortar to see if it removes the powdered material used to hold your bricks in place. If it this is the case, then you do not need further clarification. You need to quickly find an expert in tuckpointing to help you fix your mortar. However, if the mortar is in shape, scratching it by sharp objects will not remove the powdered material. This is not a hard task as such. If the sharp object removes the powdered material, just call a mason for help.

3. What Are The Benefits of Doing Tuckpointing?

This is a very important process that you should not ignore at all, especially if you are a homeowner or a large business owner. It will come a time when the mortar becomes weak. This makes moisture to find its way to the brick masonry wall/stone. This could quickly lead to moisture challenges behind the wall. When ignored, chances of the wall crumbling down and injuring people while damaging other properties remain high. For this reason, it is important to tuckpoint the wall. However if the process is done in the right manner, chances of a wall surving for decades remain high.

4. Some Other Excellent Purpose to Do Tuckpointing

The process of tuckpointing is very important as it saves people a significant amount of time and money as opposed to doing so when it is too late and, the damage has been done. If you do not tuckpoint early enough, it will reach a point where you will have to replace the whole wall, an exercise which may end up being too expensive.

5. When Do You Know That You Have Delayed To is it Too Late to Tuckpoint?

When you realize that your walls get loose, then you know that it’s too late to tuckpoint. In this case, the only solution of mitigating the situation could be to pull the whole wall down and erect a whole new one. Without doubt, this is a process that is too costly to a lot of people. It is important to identify if your wall needs such services way early by calling a profession way early before the problem occurs. This will save you both time and money. Again, if you are not sure whether your walls need such services, just call an expert for help.

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6 Signs That Your Chimney Needs Repair

5 Issues You Need To Be Aware Concerning Tuckpointing