With the fall and winter temperatures plummeting in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, you need to make sure the chimney and fireplace are in good working order before turning them on. If you have performed excellent chimney cleaning and chimney maintenance over the year, your stack should start up just fine. If you have lacked in your chimney maintenance, then you may require chimney repair before you can fire up the heat. In this short guide, you will be informed of the top four everyday signs your flue needs chimney repair.
1. A damaged liner
One of the easiest ways to see if you have a damaged liner is if the chimney masonry gets too hot. You can tell as there will be a portion of clay liner that has broken off, laying in the in the fireplace. If you notice this occurring, you need to call a handyman or a professional chimney repair team, as if you delay, your home can become filled with harmful gases. Make sure to have a chimney cleaning performed at least yearly to prevent a cracked liner from occurring.
2. Water penetration
Another telltale sign of damage to your chimney that needs repair is water damage. Just as with leaky roofing, your stack can have a small leak, and it can be quite extensive. A minor leak will consist of a few water droplets to the fireplace, while a massive leak will include masonry that is deteriorating and starting to crumble. You may also notice a musty odor or stains on the bricks surrounding the fireplace. If you see these signs or wet ash, make sure to call a professional chimney team immediately.
3. Damage to the structure
If you notice any type of damage to the chimney or fireplace after a storm has rolled through the area, you are looking at structural damage to the chimney. Repairs and possibly a new chimney installation may be needed. Make sure to check other outdoor structures of your home for damage such as the HVAC system, the gutters, and make sure the exterior painting has not been affected. If you notice the chimney is crooked or leaning after a major storm, a fire, an earthquake, or a tornado, make sure to call your local professional chimney crew to have the structure evaluated.
4. Wear and tear – Chimney maintenance
The last common sign to look for to determine if your chimney needs to be repaired is normal old age. Chimneys do a lot of work with hot temperatures and flames. They are efficient but can wear out over time and based on the amount of utilization of the fireplace. Make it a habit to clean out the ash and check your firebox monthly to inspect it for cracks.
As you can see, there are multiple issues to watch for to make sure your chimney is in proper working order. Make sure to have appropriate chimney cleaning as well as chimney maintenance performed at regular intervals. If you follow our advice on the top four common signs your chimney needs chimney repair, you will have the warmest home in all of Ohio!
I like how you said that a chimney cleaner should help stop leaks in your roof. I also like how you said that they should repair any damage made too. My husband and I are looking for a roofer to clean our chimney.
Thank you for mentioning noticing leaks. I never really thought about water being a problem for the chimney, but I’ve seen some things in our chimney that have given me cause for concern. I’ll be sure to get someone to come and check ours out and see what needs to be repaired. I hope that we don’t have anything like a leak coming from it, but we do have a few holes. Hopefully, those can get fixed pretty easily.
I’m glad that you explained how water damage can point to a faulty chimney. We noticed a pretty small puddle of water in our fireplace last night, and I quickly dismissed it as a simple spill or what not. It certainly looks like I’ll have to go look for chimney repair services that can fix it up before it can do any more damage to our house.
I’m glad you pointed out that we should get our chimney repaired if the masonry is starting to deteriorate and crumble, since that indicates that it was damaged by water at some point. My husband and I recently noticed that some of the bricks in our chimney are crumbing. I wasn’t sure if it was a big deal, so thanks for letting me know we should have it looked at by a professional.
I really liked that you mentioned that if there is water damage in your chimney, you should make sure that you have it fixed. The other night, my sister called me and told me that she was worried because some strange smells were coming from her chimney in her home and her husband is not in town to check it. I believe that she should call an expert that can take a look and fix whatever is necessary.
I like that you talked about how a telltale sign of damage on your chimney that needs repair is water damaged. It rained quite a bit yesterday and I noticed that our fireplace got wet for some reason. The damage might spread if we don’t take care of it quickly so we should definitely call for chimney repair services.
Lately, I have indeed seen a couple of leaks form around our chimney, so I wondered if this was something we should solve immediately or if we can ignore it for the while. Reading what you stated really scared me, as we really rely on that fireplace to keep us all warm throughout the snowy season, and I wouldn’t want it to break down for even a single day. I’ll protect it as early as now by having a chimney maintenance expert lend us a hand right away.