If you have a fireplace in your house, you are amongst the luckiest individuals in the world. Not everyone can afford to have a fireplace in their home let alone a chimney. However, your fireplace is only going to be as effective as your chimney. If the chimney tends to be damaged or cracked, you will face troubles down the road. So, let’s discuss how you can carry out chimney repair and fix the base of your chimney.
Analyze The Situation
The first thing you need to do before you can fix the base of your chimney is to analyze the situation. If you have purchased a pre-owned house with a furnace or fireplace, it might be that the chimney was not well-maintained and could have cracks or bricks falling out.
Therefore, you will need to inspect and walk around the chimney to detect both minor and serious damages. If you have bricks falling from the base, you will need to create a plywood structure around the base to prevent the bricks and pieces from spreading all over the surface. Make sure there is some space between the plywood structure and the furnace as you will need to install new bricks and pour in cement.
Leave the cement mixture to dry. Depending on the weather conditions, it could take somewhere between one or two days to a full week. Then, you will need to install or add a new plywood structure above the existing plywood structure, replace the bricks, and pour in the cement. Continue repeating the cycle until the cement dries out completely.
The main purpose of using plywood structures is that they will hold the cement in place and won’t damage the newly built base if extreme weather conditions were to take place.
Cleaning And Inspection
The most common cause of chimneys needing repair is lack of maintenance and cleaning. With time, creosote build-up along with debris can cause severe accumulation inside the chimney, not only reducing the overall lifespan but also increasing the chances of the chimney catching fire.
At the same time, it can also send smoke and toxic gasses back into the home. This means that chimneys should be thoroughly cleaned at least once every year to prevent hazardous gasses from entering inside and the chimney from catching fire.
Can I Repair The Chimney Myself?
Yes, you can try repairing the chimney yourself if you have the required skills and knowledge. However, keep in mind that since you will be working on the roof, there is a high risk of injury. So, make sure that you wear safety equipment and follow the basic protocols to get the job done the right way.
On the other hand, if you do not have the time and skills to carry out the process, you should consult an expert. This is going to be a tricky task as you will come across many that will be willing to offer their services at lower prices.
As tempting as it may seem, you should not opt for such individuals as they make the job worse than it is already. Chimneys can be expensive to repair and replace. And the last thing you would want is rebuilding a chimney twice a year. Therefore, think of it as an investment.
An expert will charge you more but will ensure that your chimney lasts for decades to come. In the meantime, and between the professional inspections and cleaning, you will need to make a habit of regularly inspecting the chimney, especially if your region experiences extreme weather conditions throughout the year.
The reason is that chimneys are taken as accommodation by birds and other mammals during extreme rainfall, snow, and other extreme situations. This is especially the case during the summer season when the fireplace is hardly used. So, before you can fire it up again in the winter season, you should hop onto the roof and take a look inside the chimney for any blockages.
Final Word
Fixing the base of a chimney should not be a major problem. All you need is cement and some tools to stop the base from crumbling. And if you find the process overwhelming, do not hesitate to hire chimney contractors Columbia MD.
