Chimney repair with a free inspection in Rose Isle

The smoke chamber above the damper

Above the damper of a masonry fireplace, the opening narrows into the flue through a sloped space called the smoke chamber. The Florida Building Code has its walls built of solid masonry, with the inside surface parged smooth with refractory mortar.

Some chambers were left rough, with stepped brick that catches soot, and in others the parging has cracked and fallen away. Mortar crumbs on the smoke shelf, a chamber that stays black and crusted after sweeping and open gaps between bricks are the findings that point to repair.

Our smoke chamber repair service cleans the chamber, fills the voids and parges the walls smooth with refractory mortar. That work is written as its own line, separate from the damper and the flue above it, so you can see what each part of the fireplace needs.

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

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

Loose brick above a door or walkway

A loose brick, a cracked piece of crown or a tilted cap over an entry, a patio or a driveway is a falling hazard before it is a repair. Brick Industry Association maintenance guidance counts chimneys among the parts of a building with more severe exposure, which may need repairs at shorter intervals.

When you describe it, say where it sits over the house, what has already come down and whether people walk under it. That tells us how soon the visit is needed and where a ladder can go safely. Keep the area below clear in the meantime.

Loose masonry over a path goes to the top of the estimate, ahead of cosmetic items and even ahead of some leak repairs. The first step is taking down or securing what is loose, then rebuilding on sound material. That order is explained before any work, and nothing begins until you approve it.