Hey Kansas City! Your Chimney May Need Repair

Have you looked at your chimney lately? One of the more overlooked parts of home exteriors happens to be the chimney. It is generally out of sight, above where we normally would look  while reviewing our home’s exterior. Yet brick and stone chimneys, when well maintained, add to the overall appearance of a well kept home. Chimneys are expensive to replace when maintenance is deferred.

One common vulnerability of residential chimney seems to be the crown assembly. This is the part of the chimney where the brick or stone end and it is capped or “crowned” with a cement and sand mixture which has a tendency to break over time and allow water into the top of the chimney.

There are several reasons that  the crown breaks apart. There should be a small gapping or space between the clay flue liner where applicable and the concrete to allow for expansion and contraction of the flue liners with temperature changes. This  critical detail is often missed in common practice.  Other reasons for crown failure include poor mortar mix design or water intrusion where the stone or brick meets the crown and no drip edge is present in the design.

Other common issues include mortar loss at high weathering areas. These are areas that are above the roof line and have high exposure to wind driven rain, ice, snow and the elements.

Any part of chimneys which are skyward  facing, which include crowns, shoulders and decorative elements that are protruding from the general profile of the chimney, are susceptible to moisture damage and should be inspected on a fairly regular basis to prevent costly repairs.

If you look at the top of your chimney and see dark spots, missing or crumbly brick, stonework, or a general appearance that doesn’t match the rest of your chimney, It would be wise to have a masonry professional provide an evaluation. It may be just a little dirty, or you could be stemming a costly rebuild if you catch the maintenance work in time.

​Contact:
jdunn@masonryrestorationkc.com

AllianceMasonryRestoration.com

This chimney had several brick that were crumbling or "spalling". Brick replacement and replacing the surface mortar (repointing) is the process that is being started here.

After the work is completed, the chimney looks great and will function properly for years.