Protect Your Chimney from Cold Weather Damage

As the months of winter go by, temperatures will continue to drop below freezing, and these cold spells can cause quite a bit of damage to masonry chimneys. Since masonry materials are so porous, water can become trapped inside the bricks and mortar. Whenever freezing temperatures occur, this trapped water will freeze and expand. As the temperature warms up and the water thaws, it causes masonry materials to crack and break apart. After repeated cycles of this freeze/thaw process, the structure of your chimney can become seriously compromised. If this damage is left unrepaired, you can end up with loose or missing bricks and mortar joints, and this can lead to the collapse of your chimney. Even though your bricks and mortar are porous, you can still do things to protect your chimney from this cold weather damage. Chim Cheree Chimney Specialists offers some water penetration prevention services that can keep your chimney damage-free this winter. We would like to tell you a bit more about these services we provide.

Chimney Cap Installation

If you are on a budget, a chimney cap is the least expensive preventive measure you can take against water penetration, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Without a chimney cap installed on the top of your chimney, you have a big hole in your roof that gives water from rain and melted snow easy access to the bricks and mortar of your chimney. Chim Cheree Chimney Specialists carries a wide variety of chimney caps, and we can help you select the best one for your chimney and professionally install it to be sure you are protected from water leaks. A cap will also keep out birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other wild animals.

Flashing Installation

To protect your chimney where it meets the roof, Chim Cheree Chimney Specialists can create customized flashing. Made from sheets of metal, flashing is wrapped around your chimney and incorporated into the roofing materials to make a seal against water. We take precise measurements of your chimney and will take care to be sure that both the chimney and the roof will be able to expand and contract without breaking the seal of the flashing. If you have a flashing system that is bent and damaged, we can also make repairs to your flashing to keep water from leaking into your chimney.

Waterproofing

For the ultimate protection against water penetration, we can apply a waterproofing formula to your entire chimney. We use ChimneySaver products that are 100% vapor permeable, which means any vapors that are trapped inside the bricks and mortar joints can easily escape. If those vapors cannot escape, you could end up with even more spalling damage. We provide a 10-year guarantee with our waterproofing services, so this service is a smart investment to protect your chimney from water leak damage.

Protect your chimney from the damage that can happen from cold weather this winter. Contact us at Chim Cheree Chimney Specialists to schedule an appointment for our water penetration preventive services.