Your local chimney repair team in Azalea Park

Every masonry chimney needs a sound lining

The Florida Building Code says masonry chimneys shall be lined, and that the lining must suit the type of appliance connected, following that appliance's listing and instructions. The lining is the inner passage the smoke travels through, and it keeps smoke and flue gases inside the flue rather than in the brick around it.

Some chimneys were built without one, and others have a lining that has cracked, shifted or lost pieces. From the room you rarely see it. The clues tend to be indirect, like tile fragments in the firebox or smoke where it should not be.

Because the code requires a lining, a flue without one, or with a broken one, stays out of use until it is repaired. On homes in Azalea Park, our crew checks the lining from the firebox and from the top, and the estimate says whether the flue needs repair, relining or nothing at all.

Chimney questions to ask when you buy a home

A chimney can look fine from the street and still need work. Before closing, ask the seller a few direct questions, and ask for receipts or past estimates rather than a verbal answer. Paperwork tells you what was done and when.

The general home inspection that comes with a purchase may only cover what can be seen from the ground and the firebox. If there is no history at all, treat the chimney as unknown rather than sound, and budget for what a closer look may find.

A chimney inspection before closing turns those unknowns into lines with prices. Our crew can look at the chimney you are buying and write an estimate you can use in negotiation or for planning. Start with the seller questions below.

• When the chimney was last swept and inspected
• Repairs to the crown, flashing, flue or firebox
• Whether the flue was relined, and for which appliance
• Any past leaks or stains around the chimney

When the 24/7 emergency line makes sense

Our 24/7 emergency line is for chimney problems that cannot wait for a regular visit. A section of masonry that has fallen or is about to, water pouring in around the chimney or a chimney struck by a falling limb all qualify.

Fire and smoke are a different matter. If there is a fire in the chimney or smoke filling the room, get everyone out and call 911 first. The fire department comes before any chimney company, and the chimney is looked at only once they say the house is safe.

When you reach the line, describe what happened, where it is on the house and whether anything is still coming down or coming in, so the visit to your Azalea Park home can start at the right spot. In the meantime, keep everyone away from it and stay off the roof.

What a finished repair should show you

When the job is done, you get a written record of the work we did, and you should be able to understand it without climbing onto the roof. Each line on it names a part and a repair, and each one should match something you can see or have explained to you.

Some results take time to show, like mortar color that evens out as it dries. When the job calls for it, a leak repair is checked with a water test from a hose.

Keep the record with the house paperwork and look at the repaired area from the ground now and then. If a line does not match what you see, ask us about it. Depending on the job, results like these should be easy to confirm.

• New or rebuilt masonry visible from the yard or a window
• Counterflashing set into the joints, not glued to the face
• A damper or cleanout door that opens and closes by hand
• A clear answer on when the fireplace can be used again