Family-owned chimney repair serving Fairvilla

Reading cracks in chimney masonry

Cracks in a chimney fall into two very different groups. Hairline cracks in mortar joints and thin gaps where mortar has let go of the brick are maintenance items, and BIA guidance lists both among the conditions that call for repointing.

The second group looks different. Cracks that run through several bricks, cracks that climb in a stepped or diagonal line and masonry that has moved out of plane are conditions BIA maintenance guidance treats as structural. It says issues like these generally warrant an investigation by a professional engineer to find the cause and the right repair.

Filling a structural crack with mortar changes how it looks and does nothing about why it opened. When the first group turns up, it is priced as joint repair. When the second group turns up, the estimate says so in plain words and recommends an engineer's evaluation before any structural work is priced.

Matching brick color, size and texture

A repair that stops water can still look wrong if the new brick stands out. BIA maintenance guidance says replacement brick must match the existing brick in its looks and in its physical properties, and it admits that locating a match may take considerable effort.

The guidance recommends judging the match with a mock-up or sample panel that shows the full range of colors and textures in the chosen brick, laid to match the existing brickwork. Seen that way, the whole range of the new brick is judged, not one well-chosen sample.

An honest match is close, not identical, and new brick will not share the weathering of the rest of the chimney at first. The estimate for homes in Fairvilla names the brick we propose and says how close a match to expect.

• Color, judged across the whole range of the wall
• Size, so the new courses line up with the old
• Surface texture
• Physical properties that suit the existing brick

A chimney leaning or pulling away from the house

A gap opening between a chimney and the wall of the house, or a stack that no longer looks plumb, is a sign of movement. BIA maintenance guidance names out-of-plane movement of masonry as a structural condition, one that generally calls for a professional engineer to find the cause.

A bead of sealant or foam in the gap is not a repair. It hides the gap while whatever is moving the chimney carries on. The cause can sit at the footing, in the connection to the house or in the stack itself, and each one calls for a different fix.

Our crew in Fairvilla checks where the chimney has moved, at the base, at the roofline or both. The estimate names the movement as a structural concern, recommends an engineer's evaluation and leaves sealing or patch work off the list until the cause is known.

Carbon monoxide alarms and a fuel-burning fireplace

CDC advice is to install battery-operated or battery back-up carbon monoxide detectors near every sleeping area in the home. NFPA heating safety tips say to install and maintain CO alarms, and they add that all fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid CO poisoning. A home with a fireplace or any other fuel-burning appliance needs them.

An alarm that goes off is not a chimney question. Get everyone out of the house and call 911 from outside. The cause gets tracked down only after the fire department has cleared the home.

Where a chimney comes in is venting. CDC guidance notes that chimneys can be blocked by debris, which can cause carbon monoxide to build up inside a home, and a cracked liner or a damper stuck closed can also keep combustion gases from leaving the way they should. Our technicians check those parts during the free inspection, and any fault that affects venting goes to the top of the estimate, ahead of cosmetic work.