Summer Chimney Maintenance
With fall fast approaching and summer waning, it is time to have your chimney taken care of. Summer chimney maintenance will save you a lot of trouble and expense when the weather cools off, and you use it frequently.
Summer is also the off-season for chimney maintenance, meaning you can have any issues with your chimney taken care of right away. Some issues arise in summer that don’t occur in the rest of the year. Let’s see what kind of damage can occur.
Chimney Damage That Occurs in Summer
Water Damage in Summer
Water damage in summer is bound to happen to older chimneys. A small crack anywhere on your chimney will let water in to do unseen damage. The integrity of your chimney will slowly disappear due to water expanding and contracting inside the cracked brick or stone during cold weather. Soon, your chimney will start to lose bricks and eventually collapse. The best way to discover this is through a qualified chimney sweep service inspection.
Have Damaged Chimney Components Repaired in the Summer
Your chimney performs a crucial function, so it is vital that you have any damaged parts repaired in the summer. If you have a damaged flue cap, rain, hail, leaves, dirt, and wildlife can make their way into your chimney. Our qualified and experienced chimney sweeps will fix the damaged or absent flue cap and confirm no additional damage exists. We also repair damaged chimney caps and chase covers in the summer.
Fixing a Cracked Chimney Crown in Summer
If the concrete slab at the top of your chimney, known as a crown, becomes damaged, you will have water damage. How? Because a crown forms a protective barrier that keeps water out of your flue and from being absorbed by the bricks below. We have already touched on how devastating water damage can be, and fixing a damaged crown is one of the best ways to prevent it.
Fixing Damaged Chimney Liners During the Summer
Your chimney liner is one of the most essential parts of your chimney; if it is damaged, it can let dangerous gasses and smoke into your home. Another issue with damaged chimney liners is letting heat out of the chimney and putting your house at risk of catching on fire. A third, no less devastating scenario is that holes in your chimney liner will let water through and get into your chimney’s components and fireplace’s firebox. Severely rusted components must be replaced to ensure your fireplace and chimney are in good working order.
Let Chimney Sweeps Inc. Inspect Your Chimney Before Fall
We can inspect and repair your chimney in these last few weeks of summer when the conditions are still ideal. Our trained and experienced chimney sweeps will thoroughly inspect and, if needed, repair damage to your chimney. Don’t wait until autumn, when there will be a rush to inspect chimneys, and there is less time to fix a damaged chimney before winter. Contact us today; we will gladly schedule a chimney inspector to come out and examine your chimney and then give you a written estimate of what repair costs would be. Don’t wait until your chimney gets worse, act now.