For many people, chimneys are parts of a house that can generally be ignored. If someone uses the fireplace often, the chimney may need occasional cleaning, but that’s about it. However, there are some exceptions that can make a chimney, or the lack of one, into something that consumes your thoughts.
If your house doesn’t have a fireplace and you decide to change that, the first basic requirement will be the installation of a new chimney so the smoke has somewhere safe to go. A wood stove may only need a small metal chimney to be installed, but a full-fledged fireplace usually requires a bigger outlet. Making these outlets look good from the house’s exterior requires making them of something other than a simple metal shaft. Therefore, bricks or other masonry are preferred materials.
Getting the new chimney put in requires hiring a company like US Chimney Long Island, NY, which is an experienced chimney service in Long Island, NY. Hiring a specialist instead of a generalized mason will ensure that all of the requirements are properly covered. Along with looking nice, a chimney must be fireproof and resistant to weather-related erosion. It should also have an animal-proof cage at the top to keep it from getting clogged with bird or squirrel nests.
After a chimney has aged for many years, it may need some repairs. Chimneys can crack, leak, or get clogged so that the smoke billows into the room. Clogs are usually caused by animal nests, so they’re easy to fix just by clearing them out. A stuck damper can also block the flue. This requires repairing the damper so that it opens properly when you work its lever.
Cracks, general masonry breakdown, and leaks take a bit more work to fix, but once the job is done, the chimney should last for many more years before it needs further repairs. Masonry patches can be applied to fix leaks and cracks that involve a concrete liner or another area that isn’t visible from the outside. If the bricks have broken down, new ones may need to be installed. New bricks will have the strength they should and will be able to resist the weather for many more decades. Visit their website at http://www.uschimney.com.
