What To Do With A Spalling Brick Chimney

It’s not something you hear about on a regular basis. Spalling bricks are bricks that have had moisture or water damage. The bricks may flake, become discolored, and break off. Spalling brick occurs when moisture from rain and snow penetrates the brick. Often in areas where there may be freezing and thawing. The bricks become saturated with water and tend to start to break down.

What Exactly Is Spalling Brick?

Spalling bricks can be very costly to fix if not taken care of early on. The chimney is a very important part of the structure of your home. You may first see some flaking. The bricks get to the point where they start to fall off the chimney or even take the chimney down completely. This could be quite dangerous or even deadly.

Hudson Valley Chimney can help you with the identification and your repair options.

Why Do I Have Brick Spalling?

There are many reasons for brick spalling, let us take a look at some of those reasons.

• The condition of the bricks. Are your bricks in good condition? Do you see cracks in the mortar? Discoloration of the bricks? If your bricks are starting to age, chances are you will start to see some spalling.
• If you use a pressure washer to clean your fireplace, this may be a culprit. The high pressure is great for cleaning the bricks on your fireplace. But with the good, there are some negatives. The high pressure can cause spalling.
• Cracked chimney crown. Often the chimney crown may become damaged. Heavy winds may have dislodged it. Water starts to seep into your chimney causing water to saturate the bricks. This also can cause spalling.
• Proper drainage from your roof. Is there pooling on your roof with poor drainage? This can cause moisture and water to be absorbed into your chimney, causing spalling.

What Should You Do If You Find You Have Brick Spalling?

Here are some options to correct the issue.

• You may find that your chimney crown is broken or not connected properly. Repair or replace the chimney crown.
• If you are handy, you can replace the mortar around your bricks. This is called tuckpointing. This process can renew your chimney.
• Add a chimney cap.

Prevention

What can you do to prevent future damage?

A water sealant is the perfect solution. This will prevent water from seeping into your chimney and causing avoidable damage.

Talk to the team at Hudson Valley Chimney Services. They will be able to diagnose the situation and tell what to do next. Call us at 845-471-1071 or fill out our online contact form.

Since 1976, Hudson Valley Chimney Service has delivered the best chimney sweep services in the Hudson Valley area. Annual home chimney cleaning and chimney inspection is what thousands of area residents depend on us for. Chimney repairs and masonry work are also part of being a fully qualified chimney sweep. A part of our chimney sweep expertise includes chimney caps, chimney crowns, chimney linings, and waterproofing.