Have you noticed that bricks on your chimney appear worn, cracked, or crumbled? You are likely facing a problem with spalling on your chimney. Spalling is the brick breaking into smaller pieces. These fragments make the brick unsteady and depending on the location, can cause serious structural issues to the rest of the chimney.
Over time, the interior of your house may be exposed to excess moisture, and eventually mold, due to the deteriorating structure. Spalling is an issue you want to prevent or catch early to avoid serious damage and risk to your home.
Why Does My Chimney Have Spalling Bricks?If the description above sounds like your chimney, you may be wondering how this happened. The two most common reasons for spalling chimneys that a Chimney Solutions technician sees are moister and pool materials.
Exposure to moisture is one of the biggest drivers of spalling. Melting snow, rain, or even pressure washing the outside of your house can cause damage. When moisture seeps in through the mortar or other parts of the chimney, the bricks corrode over time. This is especially true in colder climates. As water freezes within the bricks, it expands and breaks the material down even further.
Beyond the damage to the bricks, this moisture may eventually cause mold when trapped in the walls of your home.
Bad materials such as cheap bricks or mortar can make the damage from moisture even worse. If the bricks or mortar used on your chimney is low quality or installed poorly, issues will arise quickly. If the mortar isn’t compressed properly, the bricks will be unable to expand or contract when freezing and thawing which creates pockets for moisture to seep in.
We get it, this all sounds scary. So, once you’ve caught the issue, it’s important to act. First, assess the situation and determine if you can isolate the problem. Next, identify how many bricks appear to be damaged. Finally, ascertain if the damage is all in one location or spread throughout your entire chimney.
If the issue appears to be widespread, it is best to call in a certified chimney professional. The conditions causing damage may not be easily identifiable and a large number of crumbling bricks will make the structure unstable.
If there are only a handful of bricks crumbling in a very specific location, you may be able to determine what is happening and repair it. Inspect all areas around the damage including the mortar, chimney cap, and chimney crown. If the cap or crown appears to be the source of water drainage, seal them immediately with caulk. Next, chisel out the crumbling brick starting with the mortar. Immediately replace the brick and mortar with new materials.
Yes! Yearly chimney inspections from a certified professional will catch any issues promptly. Between those inspections, be sure to regularly inspect the chimney yourself. Add waterproof sealant when needed and conduct tuck-point repair to your mortar as it wears down. Staying on top of chimney spalling will protect your health, safety, and home.
Each of these items is something our team will gladly handle for you. If you’d like to have a member of our team visit your home and give you an assessment, let us know. Contact Chimney Solutions by calling 770-255-1300 or filling out our short form on our website here: https://www.chimneysolutions.com/contact-chimney-solutions/
