If you hear dripping in your fireplace or even worse, wake up to a puddle of dark liquid or creosote in your living room, you’ll probably agree that chimney leaks aren’t fun. The reason that chimneys require special attention and maintenance to prevent costly damage caused by water penetration is due to the fact that they are above the roof line. As a result they are exposed to rain, snow and winds.
After you’ve determined where the damage originates from, you may want to buy water repellant to protect it from the elements. Assuming that the water hasn’t deteriorated the masonry or grout, you may want there are several products on the market such as Chimney Saver Water Repellents™ which comes with a 10-year warranty and has been used by chimney professionals for over 20 years. Another effective product is Rutland Chimney Shield™ which can be applied with any low-pressure sprayer and come with a 10-year limited warranty.
While some products such as Chimney Saver Water Repellents™ are available by professional application only; others can be picked up at a local retailer. Some products should be used on specific chimneys. Whichever water repellant you chose to use to waterproof your chimney make sure that you read all of the instructions before applying a coat to your chimney.
