Chimney Tuckpointing

Your masonry chimney’s structure is made from many components, none more important than the “glue” that holds it together, the mortar. After twenty-five to thirty years, it’s not unusual for mortar joints to break down, but the mortar can start to wear away long before that. Let’s see what happens when mortar breaks down; read on.

When Mortar Goes Bad

When the mortar holding your chimney starts to erode from repeated exposure to heat, cold, and the elements, it means your whole chimney is in danger of breaking down. Mortar is very porous, so it has properties, not unlike a sponge. When it rains or dew forms on mortar, it has a propensity to absorb it due to high capillary action. When the mortar is saturated (so to speak), it breaks down much faster because it expands and contracts with the freeze-thaw cycle. Over time repeated saturation also dissolves the mortar, and you wind up with reduced or missing mortar. Make no mistake; water is the biggest enemy to your mortar and bricks or stones.

When mortar is compromised, a condition called spalling may occur where bricks or stones in your chimney become loose or dislodged. It won’t take long for a chimney to partially or completely collapse once spalling starts. You may have noticed signs that water is damaging your chimney’s mortar from inside your house, such as water stains on the ceiling around your chimney.

Who Can Repair Damaged Mortar Joints?

The answer to who can repair damaged mortar joints is simple, qualified chimney sweeps. Make sure that the chimney sweeps your hire have the training and experience to get the job done right. At FlameMaster, all of our chimney sweeps are Chimney Sweep Institute of America (CSIA) certified, and we are members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG). You can count on us to fix your chimney the correct way. How will we do it? We use a method called tuckpointing.

Tuckpointing

Once we have examined your chimney and determined that the mortar is damaged, we will start tuckpointing. Tuckpointing is a method where crumbling and degraded mortar between the chimney’s bricks is removed and replaced by a powerful new mortar compound. Tuckpointing can extend a chimney’s life and avert significant damage to the structure of your chimney and prevent damage to the home’s roof, attic, ceiling, and walls. Having a chimney inspection performed annually is best to prevent potential issues in your chimney’s masonry structure.

We Can Fix Your Chimney’s Mortar by Tuckpointing

If your chimney’s mortar has begun to wear away, we have the solution. Our chimney sweeps are experts at tuckpointing and will fix your chimney’s mortar. We perform chimney inspection and rebuilding services in Woodland Park CO, Colorado Springs CO, Lake George CO, Buena Vista CO, Salida CO, and Salida CO; call us today at (719) 661-3277. One of our staff members will be happy to speak to you about having your chimney inspected and tuckpointed. Don’t wait for loose bricks to cause your chimney to collapse; get in touch right away.