Spalling Chimney Bricks

Is it possible for you to perform the repairs on your chimney bricks by yourself? Absolutely. Is this anything that requires you to get in touch with an experienced chimney sweep? That would be the superior choice amongst the two available options. It is not a matter of whether or not you are capable of doing it; rather, the question is whether or not you should do it. Working on chimneys is not an easy or enjoyable task. When you include in the high cost of the equipment and the potential for harm, a do-it-yourself job of this nature is rarely worthwhile. A trained eye from the outside can also notice flaws that a layperson would miss, but which could come back to haunt them in the future.

If, on the other hand, you’re genuinely committed to tackling this type of patch on your own, then the following article has all of the information that you could want to complete the task.

Tools and Equipment
In order to repair broken bricks, you need have, at the very least, the following tools available to you:

-Cold chisel
-Club hammer
-Sharp trowel
-Water
-Mortar
-Replacement bricks
-Drill
-6-8mm masonry bit

Conduct an investigation to determine what caused the damage.
The first thing that needs to be done is to carefully inspect your chimney from top to bottom in order to identify where and what the problems are. To locate the source of the problem, examine the bricks that are visible as well as the mortar joints, chimney cap, and chimney crown.

The use of a waterproofing sealant such as caulk can provide a speedy solution to a prevalent issue, which is leaks.

If the number of bricks per wall that require repair is greater than three or four, however, it is likely time to bring in specialists; otherwise, you run the danger of harming yourself or causing damage to your property. It’s possible that there’s more damage to the structure than meets the eye if you have a lot of leaks or bricks that are damaged.

Be Sure You Select the Appropriate Bricks When Replacing Them.
If you want your chimney to look at least passably well once the repairs have been completed, matching bricks and maintaining the original design are going to be very critical considerations. Try as hard as you can to fix the mortar in the same manner, and search for bricks that are visually comparable to the ones you already have.

Remove the Bricks That Have Been Spalled
The cold chisel and the club hammer are going to come in handy at this point. Before you start crumbling the brick, you should first remove the mortar that is surrounding it and then you may pull it out completely. If you are having trouble extracting the mortar, you should use the drill and the drill bit.

Remove the Old Mortar and Replace It
You can acquire a good mortar to work with from a store that specializes in home renovation, but if you want to get the job done well, you should use mortar made of cement or a mixture of sand and lime.

Put New Bricks in Place of the Old Ones
Before spreading a layer of fresh mortar to the sides and base of the hole with your trowel, first make sure the surrounding area is thoroughly wet. Carefully work the replacement brick into the hole until it is aligned with the bricks that were there previously. Make your mortar work consistent with the rest of the chimney by smoothing it out with the trowel.

Or just call Local Chimney Sweep Cleaning to help you with all your chimney troubles. We also offer Chimney Cleaning Burson and repairing.

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