Busseyville Chimney Repairs Needed? It’s Not Difficult to Identify the Warnings

Evidence that a Busseyville home’s chimney needs repairs isn’t hard to spot.

Bricks, or chips from bricks, on the ground next to the chimney. Discoloration of remaining bricks in the structure. Noticeable gaps between bricks. Efflorescence – a white, chalky powder – coating your Busseyville chimney’s exterior.

Inside the home, staining or efflorescence inside the fireplace is a warning, too.

Each symptom might have a different source. Waiting to act isn’t wise, though. Problems can rapidly worsen. The initial step is a chimney and fireplace inspection by Butler Chimneys, the top chimney sweep company in Busseyville.

The commonality in almost every chimney issue is water. Sometimes the culprit is cracked or damaged flue tiles inside the chimney, which permit moisture to escape into the chimney cavity. If a water heater vents into the chimney, the issue can be far worse. Either way, problems start when moisture has direct contact with masonry.

Gaps in a chimney – from absent bricks, or failed mortar joints – are serious red flags. Busseyville rains can directly leak inside the chimney cavity, making a bad situation far worse.

The first step is to confront root causes. If flue tiles have lost their structural integrity, putting in a stainless steel chimney liner typically stops internal moisture problems. The damage to the chimney remains, though.

Tuckpointing - grinding out and replacing deteriorated mortar – is occasionally all that’s needed. Adding optional ChimneySaver water repellent tacks five years onto Butler Chimneys’ normal five-year warranty, guaranteeing a decade of protection from the elements.

If the source of water leakage is a cracked chimney crown, two options exist. A stainless steel chimney cap can be mounted atop the crown, creating an “umbrella” over the chimney. Or, if the crown is too weakened, a new one is poured.

If a chimney is beyond recovery, a full or partial rebuild is in order. A masonry project takes three to five days; for appliance chimneys, usually one day. You and your Busseyville neighbors can expect scaffolding to be put up, or a temporary rooftop construction station built.

The chimney is rebuilt with fresh bricks and new mortar to building code height. Butler Chimneys works to match colors of new bricks to originals; bricks can be stained, if needed.

A new 5-inch-thick concrete crown is poured on top. The crown features a 2-inch overhang to keep water off the new chimney below. Your new chimney is as beautiful as it is functional!

If you identify indicators of a deteriorating chimney, what’s the problem … and the fix? Only inspection by a qualified chimney company can tell. Time, though, is of the essence – contact Butler Chimneys before more (or worse) symptoms appear!