HOME › SERVICES › CHIMNEY REPAIR
Chimney Repair Across The Greater Toronto Area
A chimney takes more punishment than anything else on your house. The heat from the fire below, the freezing and thawing through the mortar joints, the water that sits at the join where it meets the roof and the sun and wind from above, all operating at the same structure at the same time. Between the time that most people acquire the house and sell it, they never take a close look at it. When something shows, it’s typically too late to do anything about it. Brad Ellis is with Roofing Repairs Dun-Rite Inc. to repair chimneys in the GTA.
01
Stop Chimney Leaks By Finding Where Water Actually Enters
We trace the leak back to its source before we touch anything, because water showing on your ceiling almost never enters directly above it. It could be failure in the flashing at the roof/chimney junction, a broken or disconnected chimney cap, masonry that has deteriorated over time and no longer repels water, or the mortar has failed, allowing water to seep down through the wall. Each needs a different fix. If you seal over the worst thing, that’s how it will return in 3 months, larger. Before letting you know what the problem is we check the flashing at the roofline and the masonry above.
02
Repair Chimney Cracks Properly With Matched Mortar
We work out why the chimney cracked before deciding how to fix it. A hairline crack in the mortar joints is a different issue from a crack in which the sections have pulled away from each other, and to fill either is only a temporary solution, as the crack will reopen, and at a faster rate this time. Re-pointing involves removing the old mortar to the correct depth for the new mortar, mixing the new mortar and filling the joints. How important matching is than people realize. One of the most common errors in this profession is to use hard Portland cement on an older soft brick chimney, which simply accelerates the crumbling of the brick.
03
Replace Spalled Brick Before The Chimney Loses Strength
We replace and remove broken bricks due to moisture and heat cycling. When a brick breaks off in an exposed area, the interior of brick is exposed and it absorbs water during rain. Then, each freeze forces this water out and removes a small amount of brick along with it. Left alone, what starts as a few damaged faces becomes structural. We remove failed units, correctly prepare bed, fit replacement brick colour, texture and finish matched to your existing masonry, so the repair won’t be noticed from the street.
Why Is Chimney Flashing The Most Common Leak On A Roof?
Because it is where two different materials meet, and both move. Flashing at a chimney is not one piece. Step flashing extends up the sides, counter flashing is placed in the mortar joints above and overlaps step flashing, and on the upslope face a saddle or cricket will not allow water to collect behind the stack. All of those improperly installed or neglected allow water to follow the flashing and into the roof. This is something we check on each roofing project that has a chimney since it is responsible for more leaks than the chimney itself.
What Does A Chimney Cap Actually Do?
It prevents water from entering the flue, which may not seem like much if it doesn’t work. A cracked, broken or poorly-sealed cap allows rain to pour directly down the chimney to the smoke shelf and into the masonry sides of the chimney. It then spreads through the brick and mortar, so that a chimney may appear to be in bad shape all over, when the only trouble is with the chimney cap which costs a small fraction of the masonry repointing. Cap condition is one of the factors which quietly work to determine the frequency of every other chimney repair, and is the initial detail we investigate from a distance.
Why Do Ontario Winters Damage Chimneys So Badly?
As brick and mortar retain water and water expands when frozen. During a mild spell it rains into the masonry, and overnight it freezes, and expands outward. Repeat that forty or fifty times over a winter and the mortar joints open and the brick faces begin flaking away. A chimney in good condition sheds most of that water before it gets in. Once deterioration begins, it becomes rapid because one with worn-out mortar or failed cap will absorb it.
What Are The Warning Signs Of Chimney Damage?
From the ground you can see a fair amount. The white staining on the brick is indicative of water percolation and salt deposits in the masonry. Openings or missing mortar between brick. Brick is flaking or crumbling. Some chimneys that are slightly out of plumb. Indoors, look for damp spots on the ceiling around the chimney breast, a musty odor from the fireplace or rust around the firebox or damper. If there are bits of brick or mortar in the garden after a storm, something is likely to have been blown away from the top.
Repair Or Rebuild, And How Do We Decide?
It comes down to how much of the structure is still sound. Mortar failure (brick in good condition) is a re-pointing job. If there is spalled brick in solid masonry, replace those bricks. When it has deteriorated through most of the stack, or when the chimney has become out of alignment, repointing is a waste of money on a structure that should be rebuilt above the roofline. We show you pictures of where we’re finding it and you’ll know which situation you are!
Why Chimney Work Belongs With Roof Work
The chimney and the roof fail each other. Leaking chimney affecting the decking and rafters surrounding it. Bad flashing allows water to penetrate the roof, but the brickwork above is fine. When repointing a chimney, the flashing under it is not fixed, which means that the chimney remains leaking. Because we work on both, we deal with the whole transition rather than fixing our half and leaving yours. When you get a roof done and the chimney needs to be done as well, it will be cheaper and less trouble having them both done at once than to wait and have to blame the two tradesmen later.
Chimney Repair Across Toronto And Durham Region
North York, East York and Etobicoke send us most of our repointing and brick work, which involves chimneys that have survived decades of Ontario winters. Standard coverage is available in the following communities: Scarborough, Markham, Richmond Hill, Thornhill and Mississauga. Out in Durham Region we work in Pickering, Ajax and Oshawa, and provide same day assessment if water is actively coming in. Every job uses our own crew, with no subcontracting anywhere.
Etobicoke
North York
East York
Scarborough
Markham
Richmond Hill
Thornhill
Pickering
Ajax
Oshawa
Mississauga
Tell Us What You Are Seeing
Explain the problem, such as staining of the brick, dampness around the chimney breast inside, or mortar staining on the ground following a rainy storm. We will examine the stack and the flashing underneath it, take photos of it, and quote it accordingly.