The time is now for necessary maintenance that will protect your home and family this winter. For your car, you may buy snow tires. You may winterize the windows of your house. If you have a chimney, you should also have your system inspected to determine if there are any hazards or minor mess or damage that should be repaired or cleaned up.
Early Detection
When you schedule preventive services with a professional, you can catch a problems as soon as it starts–even preventing further damage. During a routine inspection, your chimney professional will check accessible portions of the interior and exterior masonry and parts. You may have only minor damage, but when it’s caught early, it can be fully restored. During the inspection or even a routine chimney sweep, we often find damage ranging from cracked and gapped masonry (called spalling), dangerous creosote buildup, and rusted or deteriorated parts. When damage is caught early, we often have a simple fix that will keep the system working better for longer.
Chimney Crown Damage
Like masonry damage, crown damage can be repaired in the early stages and restore the crown to full function and protect it against more damage this winter. The crown acts as a roof for the chimney top, reaching from the flue and slanting toward the edge, which overhangs by two inches. These specific guidelines help water to run off the roof and onto the flashing below, not down the masonry to cause damage to the exterior. Preventing water damage is incredibly important for the life of your chimney. Weather, sunlight, heat, and cold can cause wear-and-tear to the chimney crown, and it’s easily repaired when it’s caught early.
We Repair Crowns with CrownSeal
Using a specially-formulated product from ChimneySaver, we are able to fill gaps, cover cracks, and restore the shape of the crown. CrownSeal is a proprietary elastometric coating that dries as a flexible membrane with a concrete mortar appearance. It is long-lasting and durable against winter weather, UV rays, heat, cold, and more. We can apply CrownSeal without mixing it with other products, chemicals, or bonding agents. We even can match the color of CrownSeal by adding mortar dye to match the chimney exactly. CrownSeal also comes with a 10 year warranty, is permanently flexible, comes ready to use, and is environmentally-friendly.
You may not know you have a crown problem, as many homeowners don’t. Hidden portions like the chimney interior and those out of site overhead aren’t seen and often neglected. If you haven’t scheduled services with a chimney professional in the last twelve months, now is the time. At The Mad Hatter, we can inspect your chimney now, and it can be ready for the first fire of the season. Don’t risk lighting a fire in a dangerous fireplace.
Call today at 317-596-0200 and you can rest assured that your crown is ready to defend against rain, your fireplace is ready to supplement heat, and your home will be ready for winter.