Freezing Temperatures and Chimney Damage
How a Cold Winter Can Damage Your Chimney
Many have heard that extremely cold temperatures can compromise or damage a chimney’s masonry. In truth, your masonry can handle extremely cold temperatures, so it’s not the temperatures as much as water during thawing and freezing cycles over the course of a winter season.
Freeze & Thaw Cycles vs Chimney Masonry
With the combination of bricks being a porous material that can absorb water and the settling of a chimney over time causing cracks in mortar, water can find a way into small cracks and soak into brick. As water works its way into those cracks and pores, as temperatures get colder the water freezes and expands. This repeated freezing and thawing of water on the chimney will cause deterioration of both your brick and mortar.
Signs of Chimney Damage:
- Cracks: When examining your chimney and you notice cracks in the brick, mortar joints, or chimney crown, you should have your chimney looked at by a professional.
- Spalling Bricks: If the faces of bricks are chipping away, get your chimney inspected.
- Crumbling Masonry: If you notice sections of masonry beginning to crumble,
If left unattended, the above issues can get worse which could cause additional problems not just for the chimney, but other structural damage around the chimney.
Some things to look out for would include:
- Odor: A foul odor can occur in the fireplace from access moisture in the chimney flue.
- Water Spots: If your chimney is leaking, often you will find water spots/stains on the walls or ceiling inside the home.
- Broken Pieces: If you start noticing broken tile pieces inside the firebox from your flue, get your chimney inspected.
- Water in Firebox: A good chimney cap can help prevent water from appearing in the firebox. If you do not have a chimney cap, Baun’s Chimney Sweeping can help!
Hopefully, we have help you look for some signs of chimney damage. No matter what, it is important to have a chimney inspection every year. If your chimney does have damage or you believe your chimney may have damage, call a professional! The sooner you can address any possible chimney damage the better off you will be.
One way to help prevent water damage or any further damage is to use a waterproof sealant on your chimney. Applying a water sealant is one of the services that we offer as a preventative measure or to help with preventing additional damage.
Get An Annual Chimney Inspection
Every homeowner should schedule an annual chimney inspection with a professional chimney service. At Baun’s Chimney Sweeping, our technicians are equipped with multiple tools and cameras to conduct Level 1 inspections to Level 3 inspections. A professional chimney inspection will examine the chimney around the roof to the flue. They are looking for cracks, various signs of water damage or anything that can compromise the integrity of your chimney.
If you are looking for an Indianapolis Chimney Inspection and live around the central Indiana area, call Baun’s Chimney Sweeping at (317) 627-3606 to schedule your next inspection!
