![]() Regular building maintenance checks are a good way to assess the physical state of a chimney but you should also look out for these signs too: It’s still useful to be able to spot the signs of chimney damage early on and stop further damage developing and causing more severe problems. We always recommend taking a proactive step and waterproofing your chimney to prevent water damage. These organisms store water at their roots which presses it up against the masonry to exacerbate the freeze thaw cycling effect. If the ingress has advanced enough, it can start to make contact with the roof’s timber elements like rafters and collar beams causing:Īlgae and moss require a constant source of moisture to stay alive which is why their presence on the outside of a chimney’s brickwork indicates an issue. Once water has penetrated the brickwork, it can progress throughout the stack and below the roofline. When you have a freeze-thaw cycle, the condition of bricks can deteriorate rapidly as the cracks will widen and take in more moisture which will freeze and expand once more. When water freezes it expands which can cause cracking throughout a chimney’s brickwork. Chimney spalling caused by freeze-thaw cycleĪ freeze thaw cycle is used to describe the repeated process in which water absorbed into a chimney’s brickwork freezes, and then thaws. The following are examples of problems that may arise from a lack of chimney protection. This means that issues won’t become known until the signs of damp become severe. Unlike penetrating damp, condensation and rising damp, water damage and ingress is especially hard to spot on a chimney due to its location and ease of access. In the UK, this kind of weather is frequent which accelerates the rate of wear on a building’s chimney stack, cap and flashing. Why are chimneys vulnerable?Īs mentioned, external chimneys are constantly exposed to the elements which includes regular rainfall, freezing temperatures and strong winds. In this short guide we’ll cover everything that professionals need to know about spotting chimney defects and carrying out best practice chimney waterproofing. This helps prolong the life of the flue, and protect the rest of the building. A reputable chimney water repellent will line the pores in the brickwork and mortar and prevent moisture from penetrating further where it can cause damage. From a maintenance perspective, remedial works on a damaged chimney and wet rot are very tricky to carry out, and time consuming and costly.Ĭhimney waterproofing is a proactive step you can take to protect chimney brickwork from water damage. When the masonry degrades you can end up with both cosmetic damage to the external chimney stack and also deeper structural problems such as wet rot, spoilage and penetrating damp. Brickwork and masonry is very porous which means that chimneys in the UK are very susceptible to water damage and issues that come as a result. External chimneys are no exception - they are vulnerable to the elements from all angles without any surrounding cover.
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