Masonry and factory-built chimney repair in Lockwood

Water, heat and movement wear a chimney out

Three forces wear a chimney down over time. Water gets in at the top and at the roofline, soaking mortar, rusting metal and staining the rooms below. Heat works from the inside, on the flue lining and the chamber above the damper. Movement shows up as cracks and gaps where masonry has shifted or pulled away from the house.

One visible symptom can come from more than one force. A cracked joint may be years of water working into the mortar, or masonry moving because something beneath it has shifted. BIA guidance on maintaining brick says the origin of a problem should be found and both the cause and the visible effect corrected, which is why a patch over the mark alone does not settle it.

At your Lockwood home, each finding is sorted by the force behind it before anything is priced. The written estimate groups the repairs the same way, so you can see which lines stop water, which deal with heat damage and which address movement.

Rebuilding the top from the roofline up

When the damage sits in the stack above the roof, a partial rebuild can start at the roofline. The failed masonry comes down to sound courses, and the new brick goes up with the flashing details and the top built in from the start.

A rebuilt top is built to the Florida Building Code's rules for termination and caps. The chimney has to rise high enough above the roof it passes through and above nearby parts of the building, and a masonry chimney is finished with a concrete, metal or stone cap that has a drip edge and slopes to shed water.

Rebuilding is also the moment to correct a top that was never right, such as one built too short or finished with a flat, thin layer of mortar. This work belongs to our chimney rebuild service, and while the top is open it is covered at the end of each work day, with the debris cleaned up and hauled away. The estimate lists the courses that come down, the new cap and flashing and how the new brick will be matched to the old.

Cleaning a brick chimney without damaging it

Cleaning brick can do more harm than the dirt it removes. BIA guidance on cleaning brickwork says to select the gentlest effective method and to try it first on a small, out-of-sight area before cleaning the whole surface.

The method is matched to the brick. BIA recommends following the brick maker's cleaning procedure where there is one and trying a bucket and brush or pressurized water before chemical cleaners. Windows, trim and metal nearby are protected, since many cleaning agents, acids in particular, attack metal.

The trial area also shows what to expect, since some cleaning methods change the look of the brick. The estimate names the cleaning method and the test area, and it lists cleaning as a separate line from any repair.

• Abrasive blasting and high-pressure water can etch joints and strip the brick face
• Steel bristle brushes can leave particles that rust
• Improperly mixed or strong acid can etch brick and dissolve mortar

The cleanout door at the base of a flue

A small metal door at the bottom of a chimney, outside or in a utility space, is usually a cleanout. The Florida Building Code requires a cleanout opening close to the base of each masonry chimney flue, with a noncombustible cover, so ash and debris can be taken out. Fireplace flues that can be cleaned through the fireplace opening are the exception.

Cleanout doors rust, warp and lose their latches. One that is missing or hangs open gives animals and water an easy way in, and one rusted shut leaves debris sitting at the base out of sight.

Replacing the door is a small job, but the frame has to sit tight in the masonry so the new cover closes properly. The base of the flue is cleared first, then a noncombustible door and frame are fitted. Any of these signs puts the door on the estimate.

• A door that will not latch or close flush
• Rust holes or a warped frame
• Loose mortar around the frame
• Ash or debris spilling from the opening