Water is useful in so many way such as nourishing your crops or the grass, but it is very damaging to buildings and your chimney. Your chimney is especially vulnerable to the weathering of precipitation over time. It can cause your chimney to breakdown, or even cause a collapse. You need to be aware of the effects of water on your masonry, and you should take extra precautions to prevent further water damage of your chimney by scheduling a yearly chimney inspections with the experts at Black Velvet Chimney.
Effects of Weathering
Rain cause your chimney to erode overtime. Precipitation also contributes to the damaging freeze/thaw cycle. Bricks and mortar are extremely porous, and when precipitation happens, it gets into those pores. If the temperature drops below freezing, it freezes and expand. The expansion of the pores causes the bricks and mortar to crack and deteriorate. This cause instability in the structure of your chimney, and it also causes the bricks to loosen to fall out.
Water leaks in the interior of your chimney is another major issue. This causes several problems including a sour smell from the chimney because of the mixing of moisture with creosote. It also cause your damper system to rust. This makes it difficult to open or close to let smoke out or keep warm air in. It can also cause damage to the interior of your home, especially to the ceiling and walls around the fireplace.
Water Damage in the Home
If there are leaks in your chimney, this means the smoke that should be going out of your chimney is coming back into your home. When wood burns, there are certain chemicals released in the smoke such as benzene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde. If these chemicals are coming back into the home, they can cause health issues such as headaches, irritated eyes, scratchy throat, inflamed lungs, and serious problems such as increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer.
What Can Be Done
Making sure that your chimney cap and chimney crown are in good shape is a great first step to controlling leaks. Also, having your chimney inspected on a yearly basis by a certified professional, as recommended by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). At Black Velvet Chimney, we can help your chimney stay leak free by providing the best chimney inspections, and we also offer the best chimney cap and crown to prevent leaks.
Waterproofing
However, the best solution to combat leaks in your chimney is to have your chimney waterproofed. At Black Velvet Chimney, we use ChimneySaver waterproofing. This product ensures that water is kept out of the chimney, but that any water that is in the pores of the chimney structure are released out. To prevent leaks before they happen, give us a call and let us waterproof your chimney. We can’t wait to help!
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