What’s Involved in a Restoration Project?
Older chimneys often present certain issues and concerns that are common to chimneys built before the mid-1900s. Historic chimney restoration can involve several different strategies, all of which require specific skill, training and knowledge
Smoke Chamber Parging
During a historic chimney restoration project, we look at the smoke chamber, which sits between the firebox and the chimney liner. Most older smoke chambers were built with a step design, leaving edges that impede the movement of smoke and collect large amounts of flammable creosote.
Smoke chamber parging involves smoothing out the chamber’s surfaces and repairing cracks and holes with a cast-in-place compound. This ensures system efficiency and reduces the chance of a chimney fire.
Historic Chimney Masonry Issues
A chimney doesn’t have to be “historic” to have problems with its bricks and mortar. But chimneys well past their hundredth year almost always need some attention in this area.
Compromises to chimney masonry will allow water to move in and begin a cycle of damage to the masonry and other parts of the chimney system. Masonry damage can also result in structural instability.
The Hudson Valley Chimney crew will inspect your masonry and can replace damaged bricks to restore strength, safety and beauty. We also perform repointing, during which we remove decayed mortar joints and replace them with a strong, new compound.
Taking out Divider Walls
Historic chimneys often have several brick divider walls that separate multiple chimney flues that vent multiple appliances. Your chimney will operate better and safer after we remove the divider walls and add a single stainless steel liner of the correct size.
Relining a Historic Chimney
We probably should just call it “lining a historic chimney” because many older chimneys never had a chimney liner to begin with. When no protective liner is in place, the interior surfaces of the chimney can be damaged by heat, flames, acidic creosote and dangerous combustion gases.
Our crew will inspect your chimney to determine if any damage needs to be repaired, and then we’ll reline the chimney with a quality stainless steel chimney liner. Your new liner will be sized correctly to vent the connected fireplace and other appliances, if you have them.
Historic Chimney Rebuilding
When an older chimney has suffered severe damage, rebuilding it may be the best option. We can rebuild a historic chimney from the roof up or from the ground up. We’ll make sure the new chimney has the same aesthetic charm and appeal as the original one.
Other Historic Chimney Restoration Tasks
When we inspect your chimney to begin restoration, we’ll look at the fireplace damper, chimney cap, chimney crown, chimney flashing, firebox, and other parts of the system.
It’s not uncommon for older chimneys to have had piecemeal work performed over the years, and we want to make sure all those components and modifications are safe and up to code.
Call Your New York Historic Chimney Restoration Specialists
Hudson Valley Chimney is ready to help with your chimney restoration project. Speak with a New York chimney expert today by calling (845) 471-1071. You can also reach us through our simple contact form.
