Hiring a brick repair company to fix your chimney is like hiring a real estate lawyer to sell your house. He can do a good job but… it’s not his thing. He has some of the skills but he can’t really do the best job possible. He’s not an expert. He might have the occasional chimney job but he mostly works on exterior and interior brickwork or stonework.
A brick repair contractor can fix chipped masonry bricks but can they determine the reason that your chimney is leaking? How to prevent it from happening again? Get you the best prices on parts and service? Can he say Yes with confidence?
God bless brick repair contractors. They do a great job at repairing stonework, brick tucking around a window or waterproofing a basement. A professional chimney serviceman certainly wouldn’t take on those projects. He or she usually doesn’t have the skills or the experience to ensure that the job is done right.
Sometimes I am called in to quote on a chimney or fireplace job that was performed by a professional tradesman. And judging from what I find when I walk into the room it doesn’t look like the high quality work of someone with years of experience. It’s like that old joke that I once heard, if you think a professional is expensive then hire an amateur. You’ll have to pay even more to have the problem fixed twice!
I have seen chimneys where the bricks were disintegrating and literally falling apart because the problem wasn’t correctly addressed. The chimney flashing wasn’t joined correctly or the chimney didn’t receive the right waterproofing treatment after the chimney was repaired. Sometimes the chimney’s clay tiles have been stacked together without any mortar between the joints causing water penetration and eventually water damage. Just as there is a big difference in the quality of work between home inspectors, there is a similar gap in the quality of work between good and bad chimney contractors and tradespeople.
Chimneys are often one of the most neglected, undetected, or misunderstood systems in a house. If they aren’t operating safely then the fireplaces and wood stoves that they are connected to won’t vent their exhaust correctly. During an annual chimney inspection, a professional chimney sweep will be able to determine the condition of your chimney and offer solutions for chimney repair and maintenance. If a chimney isn’t venting correctly it could be because of a poor draft, excessive water vapor and corrosion inside the flue resulting in blocked flues.
If you have a mortar chimney crown it tends to chip over time because of exposure to wind snow and sleet. Metal chimney caps are more durable and last longer than masonry chimney caps. Factory built chimneys often require silicone to be applied to the exposed storm collar in order to prevent water penetration. A new chase cover to be fabricated and installed on top of a factory built chimney chase to prevent water entering from the top of the chimney.
If you’re tired of not getting your money’s worth when it comes to fixing your chimney, Professional Chimney Services has the right solution for your chimney.
