Brown Deer Chimney Repairs Required? It’s Not Hard to Identify the Symptoms

Evidence that a Brown Deer home’s chimney needs repairs isn’t hard to find.

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

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

Each sign might have a different source. Waiting to act isn’t advisable, though. Issues can rapidly worsen. The initial step is a chimney and fireplace inspection by Butler Chimneys, the top chimney sweep company in Brown Deer.

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

Gaps in a chimney – from missing bricks, or compromised mortar joints – are serious warnings. Brown Deer rains can directly leak inside the chimney cavity, making a bad situation far worse.

The first step is to address root causes. If flue tiles have lost their structural integrity, installing a stainless steel chimney liner generally stops internal moisture problems. The harm to the chimney remains, though.

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

If the source of water leakage is a damaged 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 deteriorated, a new one is poured.

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

The chimney is reconstructed 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 employs a 2-inch overhang to keep water off the new chimney beneath. Your new chimney is as beautiful as it is functional!

If you detect indicators of a deteriorating chimney, what’s the issue … and the remedy? Only inspection by a qualified chimney company can tell. Time, though, is of the essence – contact Butler Chimneys before additional (or worse) symptoms show up!