Chimney repair services

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Termination caps are one of the main causes of leaks in prefabricated chimneys, there are many signs a chimney professional will see where they may recommend a new one, those signs being; rust, open gaps, demolecularization (discoloration like an exhaust pipe), or still sitting water. 

We will try our absolute best not to go this route in many situations because having an open, and therefore still functioning chimney adds to the value and overall appeal of a home, but in some situations (such as having an out of code chimney) a masonry cap off is one way to avoid any future water entry.  

In the above picture, on the left side, you see a rusted chase cover. On the right, you can see it was replaced with a stainless steel replica. The reason this was done is because when you see rust on a chase cover that is an indication that it has been holding water, which will lead to water entry into your home. 

Having cracks in your refractory panels can lead to the metal case of your prefabricated firebox heating up and drying out the surrounding wood and insulation. This leads to an increased fire hazard in your house.   Luckily there are many solutions to this problem, one of them being a steel plate installation that will cover the cracked refractories and absorb that heat.  

Having gaps in your profile can lead to air drafting through the sides of your fireplace and into the wood and insulation that surrounds it. Parging the profile will eliminate this issue and lead to safer usage of an old fireplace. 

Your smoke chamber can form gaps on the inside over time, this will lead to sparks and smoke getting into the walls of your house. Not only is this a fire hazard, it can cause an odor. Lining the smoke chamber with a high heat mortar can solve this problem. 

When wet wood is burned in the fireplace, over time it will create very dense and very flammable creosote in the smoke chamber and flue, this is called third-degree creosote. This can also be caused by water entry from the top, in that case it wont matter what type of wood is used. When this happens, the chimney professional has to use power tools to clean the creosote. 

Over time the crown on a chimney will begin to age and crack as the cold and hot weather expands and contracts it. This will lead to water entry and cause more issues. This can be fixed by painting a new hydrophobic coat on top of the crown.