Brick fireplaces are beautiful, relaxing, and cozy in a home. If you are a person who likes to change your home’s décor, your fireplace may go from beautiful to bland. If yours no longer has the architectural design you prefer, you can create a stunning focal point by making a few minor renovations or brickwork changes. Here’s how to revive a brick fireplace with chimney repair.
Masonry Fireplaces
Masonry fireplaces have select features that are meant to beautify a home, yet cracks in the bricks are eyesores. They also warn homeowners when a chimney repair is needed. Patching up the cracks in the masonry is a smart home improvement investment as it makes a home safer yet helps to save thousands of dollars from anticipated future chimney repair or replacement needs.
When left unchecked, the smaller brick cracks will eventually lead to larger ones when exposed to the intensity of summer heat, winter ice freezes, and spring thunderstorms. As the water looks for natural escape routes, it penetrates the porous materials in bricks. It then affects the exterior masonry, the flashing, and the flue. It further damages the roof, ceilings, insulation, and floors.
How To Prevent Cracks
Cracks in the masonry are safety hazards as they tend to expose the flue and cause a chimney fire. Common signs of a chimney fire include creosote deposits, discolored damper or rain cap, damaged or burned flue tiles, roof damage, and cracks in the masonry. As chimney fires tend to ignite instantaneously, they burn quickly and cause lots of damage. It also must be extinguished from the top down, so you won’t be able to control the fire without fire department intervention.
When To Do Brick Chimney Repair
Are you wondering about when to do brick chimney repair? It’s vital to first choose a warm day spring or summer day since mortar does not dry in weather under forty degrees. If you are doing it in the spring, make sure the nights do not get drop below the base temperature as it takes a day to dry. Simple crack repairs take a minimum of an hour to perform the tasks, so plan appropriately.
It can also be frustrating if you do not have the proper tools. It is generally the reason why a home or business owner calls us for chimney repair since you need gloves, rags, safety protection gear, a tuckpointing tool, a pointing trowel, a joint raker, a chisel, a hammer, a ladder, a wire brush, a paintbrush, a mortar and caulking gun, a putty knife, and a water hose to find leaks when finished.
Of course, a person making the repairs will also need to buy a mortar and water-based silane or siloxane water repellent. This is why it is generally more affordable to let the professionals handle it for you. North Shore Roofing has decades of chimney repair experience, and we also guarantee our work. Here are a few things we can also help you do when performing chimney brick repairs.
- Brick Mortar Repointing
- Caulking the Flue Or Crown
- Patching Cracks Around The Crown
- Patching Hairline Cracks With Sealant
- Repairing Brick Cracks
- Replacing Damaged Bricks
Massachusetts Fireplace Codes and Regulations
The state of Massachusetts has an extensive fireplace building code (780 CMR 60.00) that is intended to protect the public health of residents. The code covers the building, extending, or repairing of a structure. It is detailed-oriented and requires the attention of experienced chimney repair experts who know how to alter or modify a fireplace and adhere to MA safety standards.
While you usually do not need a permit to repair minor cracks, there are strict protocols when you intend to make chimney repairs. Under building code provision M.G.L. c.148,§ 27A., if you intend to modify, alter, add, or remove any parts of a fireplace that affects the fire protection system, you need a permit from local officials. This is something North Shore will do for you.
Now is the perfect time to get the brick in your chimney repaired or replaced. Call at (978) 977-3816 or send us a message on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NorthShoreRoofingMA.
