How to Maintain and Repair Your Chimney

Make your chimney terminal for decades with a few hours of simple maintenance

Fourth dimension

A few hours

Complication

Intermediate

Introduction

Cracks and spalling in a brick chimney can become worse fast, only the set is easy if you do it in time. 2 pros share maintenance tips that will keep your chimney solid for the life of the house.

Tools Required

Materials Required

  • Brushable crown sealer
  • Chimney cap
  • Disposable gloves
  • Duct tape
  • Water repellent

Chimney basics

Chimney inspection

cracks Family Handyman

The cracks in this chimney crown have reached a critical indicate. If non sealed soon, they'll destroy the crown and eventually the chimney.

Nearly homeowners never retrieve well-nigh masonry chimney maintenance beyond the occasional flue cleaning. But ignoring your chimney can cost you big-time. A cracked chimney crown or spalling bricks tin can easily cost $1,000 to repair. And, if left untreated, the harm tin accelerate quickly, and price you upward of $3,000.

Information technology doesn't have to be that way. By but sealing the bricks and the crown and adding a chimney cap, you'll greatly extend your chimney's life. The materials toll less than $300, and y'all can complete all three procedures in just a few hours. You lot'd pay a pro nearly $1,000 to do all three, then the savings is huge.

You'll accept to climb up on your roof twice (once to measure the flue liner to club the correct chimney cap and once to perform the procedures). And, you must be able to safely reach the chimney crown from your roof. If you tin can't accomplish the chimney crown, have a very steep roof pitch or aren't comfortable working on your roof, call a pro. If y'all decide you can handle the heights, make sure you lot clothing a safe harness.

See the Pros

Family unit Handyman

Jim Smart has endemic Smart Sweep Chimney Service for fourteen years. He and his son, Jesse, are certified professional chimney sweeps. Together, this father/son team inspects, cleans and repairs chimneys in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. In addition to his chimney sweep certifications, Jim holds a document in forensic chimney fire analysis. In other words, Jim understands how chimneys piece of work and fail. He's a pro's pro.

Project Details

Brushable crown sealer, $60

Chimney water repellent, $35

Garden pump sprayer, $35

Stainless steel chimney cap, $125

Tarps, duct tape, paintbrush

Project step-by-pace (4)

Step 1

Start at the chimney crown

Employ the showtime coat of chimney sealer by hand

sealer

Scoop up a handful of the sealer and wipe it onto the crown. Strength the sealant into the cracks and into the crown-to-brick seam.

Step 2

Even out the chimney sealer

brush

Stroke the wet sealant with a brush to level the high and depression spots and create a smooth surface.

Masonry chimneys are capped with a mortar 'crown' to prevent water from getting backside the bricks and aslope the flue, and into the business firm. Over fourth dimension, normal expansion and contraction cycles can crusade cracks to form, equally shown above. Sealing the chimney crown with crown sealer, a flexible elastomeric blanket, is the best way to stop existing cracks from spreading and prevent new ones.

Cull a clear or overcast day for the project (no rain in the forecast for at least four hours). Set up the crown by cleaning it with a potent poly or nylon brush. Fill any large cracks with patching cement or 100 pct silicone caulk (they'll cure even subsequently you apply the crown sealer).

Next, wrap duct tape all around the crown about 1/4 in. beneath the edge of the crown-to-brick seam. Printing the tape into the vertical brick joints. Then tape around each flue liner one in. above the crown. Lay canvas (not plastic) tarps around the base of operations of the chimney to protect the shingles from crown sealer drips.

Our chimney repair proficient applies crown sealer by manus and then he tin force it into cracks and get the get-go coat done faster. If you choose that method, just slip on a disposable glove and apply the sealer (Photo 1). (1 brand is Chimney RX Brushable Crown Repair; sold by the gallon at saversystems.com) Cover the entire crown and so shine it with a paintbrush (Photo 2). Expect until the sealer dries tacky to the bear upon, then utilise a 2nd coat with a brush. Clean up with water.

Stride 3

Seal the chimney bricks

Spray the brick with water repellent

Spray

Start at the bottom of the chimney and spray the brick until the excess repellent runs downward about 8 in. below the spray line. Piece of work your way upwardly to the height. Apply a 2d coat inside five minutes using the same technique.

Once the crown sealer feels dry to the impact (30 to 60 minutes), remove the duct tape merely get out the roof tarps in place. Then mask off any painted chimney flashings before applying the h2o repellent. Spray on the repellent (one brand is Chimney RX Masonry Chimney Water Repellent; sold at saversystems.com) with a low-pressure level, garden pump sprayer (Photo iii).

Step 4

Finish it off with a chimney cap

Install the cap

cap

You lot don't want animals getting into your chimney. Set the cap (run across chimney cap cost to a higher place) over the flue liner and secure it with screws. Tighten until snug, but no more. Excessive pressure can crack the clay liner.

A chimney cap keeps water and critters out of your flue and extends flue life. Many codes require a mesh cap, and so bank check before buying. Chimney expert Jim Smart recommends spending extra to get a stainless steel cap considering it will terminal much longer than the galvanized type. Ane source for stainless steel caps is efireplacestore.com

Yous'll need the outside dimensions of the flue liner to become the correct size cap for your chimney. Then install it on the flue liner (Photo 4).

Originally Published: February 28, 2022