We’re heading into the last couple of months of the year. Is your home ready to stand up to the cold winter weather we will see soon here in the Elkton, MD area? Your chimney is one of the most affected parts of your home caused by freezing temperatures. This is why Ace Chimney Sweeps wants to help you protect your chimney this winter! We provide superior professional chimney and fireplace maintenance, repair, and installation services to the region. Now, we would like to tell you more about problems that cold weather can cause to chimney and fireplace systems.
Spalling Damage
You may have heard how destructive water penetration can be to masonry chimneys. However, the most devastation actually occurs during the coldest times of the year. Since the bricks and mortar joints of your chimney are naturally porous, they absorb moisture from rain, ice, and snow. As the temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, any water trapped within the masonry materials will freeze and expand.
Spalling damage happens during the thawing process. As the water thaws, its force can cause the bricks and mortar joints to crack and crumble. These bricks can even become loose and fall from the chimney structure! Repeated freeze/thaw cycles during the winter can result in extensive and expensive damage to your chimney. Ace Chimney Sweeps provides experienced chimney masonry repair services to replace damaged and missing bricks and mortar joints. In addition, we also offer professional chimney waterproofing treatments that can prevent this spalling damage from occurring.
The Stack Effect
Another cold weather chimney issue involves draft. According to “The Hearth in the House as a System,” the stack effect in cold weather can create an imbalance in the pressure in your home. In the higher levels of your home, the pressure inside your home is greater than the atmospheric pressure, and the opposite is true in the lower levels of your home. This can cause problems with the chimney draft, which can make it difficult to start a fire. You may also have issues with smoke and other combustion gases being forced back into your home.
Another big problem is heat loss. To solve these pressure problems, the easiest thing to do is to open a window near your fireplace to provide the necessary air for combustion. If this does not help, Ace Chimney Sweeps can assist you with another way to get this important outside air needed for combustion into your fireplace.
Protect your chimney from cold weather problems. Contact us today at Ace Chimney Sweeps to schedule an appointment for a professional chimney waterproofing treatment to prevent spalling damage this winter!