How to Maintain and Repair Your Chimney

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

Fourth dimension

A few hours

Complexity

Intermediate

Introduction

Cracks and spalling in a brick chimney tin become worse fast, simply the set is like shooting fish in a barrel if you exercise it in time. Two pros share maintenance tips that volition go on your chimney solid for the life of the business firm.

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 point. If not sealed soon, they'll destroy the crown and eventually the chimney.

Most homeowners never think most masonry chimney maintenance across the occasional flue cleaning. Just ignoring your chimney can cost you big-fourth dimension. A cracked chimney crown or spalling bricks can easily toll $1,000 to repair. And, if left untreated, the impairment tin advance chop-chop, and price you upward of $iii,000.

It doesn't have to exist that manner. By simply sealing the bricks and the crown and calculation a chimney cap, you'll greatly extend your chimney'due south life. The materials cost less than $300, and yous can complete all 3 procedures in but a few hours. Yous'd pay a pro about $1,000 to do all iii, then the savings is huge.

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

Meet the Pros

Family Handyman

Jim Smart has owned 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 add-on to his chimney sweep certifications, Jim holds a certificate in forensic chimney fire analysis. In other words, Jim understands how chimneys piece of work and fail. He's a pro'south pro.

Project Details

Brushable crown sealer, $sixty

Chimney water repellent, $35

Garden pump sprayer, $35

Stainless steel chimney cap, $125

Tarps, duct tape, paintbrush

Projection step-past-step (iv)

Stride ane

Start at the chimney crown

Utilize the first coat of chimney sealer past mitt

sealer

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

Step 2

Fifty-fifty out the chimney sealer

brush

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

Masonry chimneys are capped with a mortar 'crown' to forbid h2o from getting behind the bricks and alongside the flue, and into the house. Over time, normal expansion and contraction cycles tin cause cracks to course, as shown above. Sealing the chimney crown with crown sealer, a flexible elastomeric coating, is the all-time mode to finish existing cracks from spreading and prevent new ones.

Cull a articulate or overcast solar day for the project (no rain in the forecast for at to the lowest degree four hours). Set up the crown by cleaning it with a stiff poly or nylon brush. Fill up whatever large cracks with patching cement or 100 percent silicone caulk (they'll cure fifty-fifty after yous utilise the crown sealer).

Adjacent, wrap duct tape all around the crown virtually 1/4 in. below the edge of the crown-to-brick seam. Press the tape into the vertical brick joints. Then record effectually each flue liner 1 in. in a higher place the crown. Lay canvass (not plastic) tarps around the base of the chimney to protect the shingles from crown sealer drips.

Our chimney repair adept applies crown sealer past mitt so he can forcefulness it into cracks and get the kickoff glaze done faster. If you choose that method, just slip on a dispensable glove and apply the sealer (Photograph ane). (I brand is Chimney RX Brushable Crown Repair; sold by the gallon at saversystems.com) Cover the entire crown and and then shine it with a paintbrush (Photo ii). Await until the sealer dries tacky to the touch, then apply a second coat with a brush. Clean upwardly with water.

Step 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 down virtually 8 in. below the spray line. Work your way upward to the top. Apply a 2d coat inside 5 minutes using the aforementioned technique.

Once the crown sealer feels dry to the touch (30 to 60 minutes), remove the duct tape but leave the roof tarps in place. So mask off whatsoever painted chimney flashings before applying the water repellent. Spray on the repellent (one make is Chimney RX Masonry Chimney H2o Repellent; sold at saversystems.com) with a low-pressure level, garden pump sprayer (Photo three).

Step 4

Finish it off with a chimney cap

Install the cap

cap

You don't want animals getting into your chimney. Set the cap (encounter chimney cap cost above) over the flue liner and secure it with screws. Tighten until snug, but no more. Excessive pressure can crevice the clay liner.

A chimney cap keeps water and critters out of your flue and extends flue life. Many codes require a mesh cap, so bank check before buying. Chimney practiced Jim Smart recommends spending extra to get a stainless steel cap because it will last much longer than the galvanized type. 1 source for stainless steel caps is efireplacestore.com

You'll need the exterior 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