Like most homeowners, masonry chimney maintenance outside of getting it cleaned every so often, isn’t at the top of your To Do list. But a small problem can turn into a big problem and can quickly cost you $1,000 to repair. And, if l you don’t do anything about it the damage and costs can skyrocket and cost you more than $3,000.
This is why you can’t afford to wait for it to happen. If you have noticed dark stains on the exterior brick of your chimney, don’t wait for the problem to get out of control. While your chimney will not collapse tomorrow, don’t wait too long to take care of it. Over time the brick on older homes loses its resiliency or its ability to spring back into shape. Weather takes its toll on chimneys and in Houston; we never know what kind of weather to expect. It could be scorching hot one day and then the floodgates open and we have rain for a week straight.
The only thing that is worse than dark stains on your chimney are green stains. Green stains are an indication that an alga is growing on your masonry brick and it’s more serious than the it may appear to be. Algae, moss, lichen, or mold is more than just a sign of moisture in and on your chimney, One form of algae known as “gloeocapsa magma” eats away at your roof shingles, limestone, and mortar, before eating away at your chimney to the point that it won’t be usable.
How can you solve the problem? First of all, during our initial inspection of the chimney we will visually inspect the complete chimney unit with a video camera. And before we begin working on it, we’ll speak with our clients to determine the most efficient and cost effective way to make it well again.
We’ll power-wash your chimney to ensure that we remove all of the algae. If the water damage to the brick requires that we replace brick and or mortar, we’ll do that too! But if you want to make sure that the problem never comes back you’ll have to apply water repellant that is specifically designed to keep water out of your chimney. They call it chimney saver for a reason! ChimneySaver is the first product developed specifically for chimneys. It has been used successfully by leading chimney professionals for nearly 20 years. And the results are impressive; studies have shown that It reduces water penetration into the masonry by 99.9%.
Because it’s 100% vapor permeable it won’t trap water vapors that may pass through the bricks when the chimney is in use. Other water repellants that you can find in your hardware store slow down water vapors as they pass through the chimney, which results in water damage to your chimney. Some of the other great features of ChimneySaver include its non-glossy finish, stain protection, resistant to mildew and fungus and it’s environmentally friendly. And you won’t have to worry about when the temperature drops because of its freeze thaw protection. Even better, it comes with a 10 year warranty.
