If you’ve had a lightning strike your chimney, then it’s easy to see the damage. However, detecting leaks is not always so straightforward. Your Local Richmond BC Chimney Repair can help find leaks in your fireplace system.
Please read below to learn about the most common ways to know your chimney is leaking. Certain issues you find in your house may alert you to the roof/water leaking problem, but you must know what to look for!
The most obvious reason for leaks is rain water falling straight down the chimneys flue because the top is lacking a proper crown and cap. When rain is allowed to drain into the firebox, condensation problems start to develop.
There are many reasons for a damp fireplace. A full inspection of the system is necessary to determine the source of the leak and how to best solve the problem.
A water stain on your ceiling is preventable damage often caused by a leaky chimney. Peeling wallpaper is also a sign of a leak. If you notice this level of damage, you’ve got a bad leak and need to call your local chimney sweep for help.
If you have a fireplace and the room smells musty, like mold or mildew, then it’s likely your chimney is leaking.
It’s often hard to know there’s a crack in your chimney tops crown unless you can see it. This is why we recommend having a Certified Sweep out annually to seal cracks before water entry starts!
Eventually all masonry chimney start to crack, especially when regular maintenance is neglected. If you have an old masonry chimney and notice brick falling off, then it’s likely leaks have already started.
Brick masonry chimneys crack and the mortar joints start to deteriorate. When bricks lack proper mortar, rain water, snow, and other bad weather can start to eat away at the brickwork from inside and out, causing the bricks to crumble over time.
A leaky chimney can be frustrating to diagnose because masonry and chimney flashing can leak without a noticeable indication of damage to the chimney. Most chimney leaks (even new leaks) are often caused by a poor design in the chimney crown or chimney flashing when the home was built.
For example, a chimney that is allowed to have rainwater pool on its peak side may not leak for a few years! By the time the damage shows up, it’s too late.
Only after years of “ponding” water does the chimney flashing rust to the point of water entry into the home and then fireplace leaks or ceiling stains appear.
Richmond BC Chimney Repair
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