Chimney repair from the cap to the firebox in Colonialtown North

Water repellent comes after repairs, if at all

A water repellent is a last step on a chimney, not a first one. BIA guidance on coatings says the source of water entry should be found and the needed repairs completed before any repellent goes on. After those repairs, it advises waiting several months to see whether a repellent is needed at all.

Often it is not. The same guidance says moisture problems will often be corrected by the initial repairs to caps, flashing, joints and brick, and the coating question can then be dropped. Where one is still wanted, BIA recommends breathable coatings, and it is clear that repellents are not a permanent solution and will need reapplying.

Our chimney waterproofing service handles repellents, and on homes in Colonialtown North it is quoted as a separate, optional line after the repair work. You decide on it once the repaired chimney has had time to show how it performs.

Vines and plants growing on the chimney

Ivy on a chimney can look settled and harmless, but its small shoots work into voids in the mortar and may carry moisture into them. BIA maintenance guidance lists plant growth among the things that can contribute to water getting into brickwork.

Removing it the wrong way does its own damage. The guidance says to cut vines away from the wall rather than pulling them off, which could damage the brick. The shoots left behind are allowed to dry and darken before they are brushed off with a stiff fiber brush and detergent, and chemicals or acids are not used on them.

Once the growth is gone, the joints underneath get a proper look, since BIA notes repointing may be necessary if the mortar cracks or deteriorates as the ivy comes off. Removal and any joint repair are priced as separate lines.

Insulation and a metal chimney in the attic

Where a factory-built chimney passes through an insulated ceiling, the Florida Building Code calls for an insulation shield that holds insulation back at the clearance the chimney maker specifies. In an attic, the shield has to stand above the insulation and be secured so it cannot shift.

Attic work is where this gets undone. Blown insulation is topped up and piles against the pipe, a shield gets knocked loose or wiring is run along the chimney. DuraVent's instructions for one of its chimneys say never to fill the required air space with insulation or any other material, and to keep wiring and building insulation away from all chimneys.

Our technicians check the attic run whenever the chimney is part of a repair. They look for the three things below, and anything out of place goes on the estimate with its fix.

• A shield in place where the pipe enters the attic
• Insulation held back from the pipe on every side
• No wiring, boxes or stored items against the chimney

Damage left by animals getting in

Birds, squirrels, raccoons and other animals get into chimneys through a missing cap, a torn screen, a gap at the chase top or a cleanout door that no longer closes. What they leave behind is the repair problem.

Chimney swifts need special care. They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and when swifts are nesting in a flue, work there waits until they have left.

Once the animals are out, our chimney animal removal service clears the nesting material and the entry point is closed, whether that takes a new cap, a screen, a chase top repair or a new cleanout door. Removal and repair are listed separately on the estimate, and the damage found tends to look like this.

• Nests and debris packed in the flue
• Chewed or bent screens and caps
• Droppings and nesting material on the damper