Your home is a special place that deserves to be kept sacred and comfortable to enrich your quality of life. When things go awry and a chimney repair need to be made, it can momentarily place a damper on your right to relaxation and take away your peace of mind. The only way to find relief is to handle the situation head-on in a timely fashion.
Still, it’s essential to be smart about your choices, as they could come back to haunt you if you’re not careful.
Chimney repair is one of the most challenging jobs because the chimney is one of the most complex components on a house. Also, people tend to have a lot of preconceived notions about the way these features function, one of them, in particular, being that chimneys function on their own and aren’t in need of special attention to thrive. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Like any other component, chimneys need regular check-ins and sporadic repair service.
Check out some of the primary facts that you should know as a consumer in need of chimney repair solutions.
Top Chimney Parts
Before contacting a chimney repair specialist, it’s a good idea to understand the purpose of its main parts. This can help when trying to explain symptoms to contractors, or when servicemen need to divulge an in-depth diagnosis to you.
Three sections that especially stand out are the flue liner, mortar, and caps:
- The Flue serves as a lining that helps the chimney release smoke. Flues get overworked like any other component, and since flue gases are acidic by nature, it eventually eats away at the insides of a chimney, causing slower heat transfers and a mix with surrounding combustibles that leads to deadly carbon monoxide leaks inside the house.
- Mortar, on the other hand, refers to the brickwork or exterior layout of the chimney. The beautification of a chimney can fade over time because of flue gases wearing it down and exposure to excess moisture which leads to bricks jutting out of place and unpleasant gaps in the layout.
- Caps protect against several outdoor elements that can be harmful to the system. These features are important because they cover the entire chimney interior and allow for appropriate ventilation. Missing or damaged caps can cause a heap of costly problems and should be corrected immediately to curb damage.
Avoid Fraudulent Chimney Repair Activity
Scam artists are lurking in all professions. Unfortunately, chimney repair is one of the industries that deals with the issue as well. When choosing a specialist, be sure that you never select someone who comes to your house uninvited regardless of how good the offer sounds. These types of scams are currently the most popular because they catch people in desperate situations off guard and take advantage of consumers’ trust. In addition, do your homework on the background of companies and perform thorough interviews during the initial confrontation to filter out the red flags.
Chimney Sweeps and Chimney Repair Services aren’t Equal
They may sound quite similar, but chimney sweeps and chimney repair services are actually very different. The former is basically a chimney cleaning during the inspection process where a professional cleans your fireplace and examines the areas of a chimney for defects. If any damage is found during this procedure, your chimney sweep suggests chimney repair solutions that treat the specific problem that’s occurring. Restorative services can range from replacement broken or damaged bricks to replacing missing or damaged caps and crowns. Both are crucial services but repairs are usually triggered by the results of chimney sweeps.
