Family-owned chimney masonry repair in Parramore

Cracks that run through the bricks themselves

In a brick wall, the mortar is designed to give way before the brick does, so cracks normally follow the joints. A crack that runs straight through several bricks tells you the masonry has been stressed harder than the joints could relieve.

Brick industry guidance lists cracks through multiple units among the structural indicators. We look for the cause, from movement to hard old patches or attachments loading the chimney, and explain whether the bricks can be replaced in place or the section needs rebuilding.

A chimney that has moved out of line

A chimney that leans, bulges or pulls away from the wall has moved out of plane, and brick industry guidance treats that as a structural condition. It is not a job for joint repair alone.

We note the direction and size of any gap, check the base and the roofline, and tell you plainly when a professional engineer should evaluate the chimney first. Until it has been assessed, keep people away from the side it leans toward.

When joints need to be cut out and repointed

Five conditions, listed in brick industry guidance, call for repointing rather than surface treatment. We check for each of them during the inspection, joint by joint, on every face of the chimney we can reach.

• Mortar eroded back more than about a quarter inch
• Mortar that crumbles when scraped
• Voids in the joints
• Hairline cracks in the mortar
• Cracks between the brick and the mortar

Masonry matters even if you never light a fire

A chimney stands above the roof in the weather whether or not the fireplace below is used. Loose brick can still fall, and open joints still let water into the wall and the house.

Owners of unused fireplaces sometimes skip chimney checks for years. A look at the masonry every so often, and a repair when something opens up, keeps a small problem from becoming a rebuild. An inspection of an unused chimney is quick and free, and it tells you whether anything needs attention or whether the masonry can simply be watched.