When it comes to home repairs and maintenance, it can be tempting to wait until you see problems before you act. It’s generally always a better idea to work proactively to keep things in good repair, however, than it is to respond to potentially serious issues after they’ve already developed. This is especially true when it comes to your chimney. Because it is responsible for directing fumes, heat, and dangerous gases from your home, it is vital that you keep your chimney functional throughout the year. Anything less could lead to expensive fixes at best or serious injury at worst.

4 Tips to Help You Know When to Repair Your Chimney

Chimneys contain several different parts, all of which are vital to their function. Understanding what your Toronto chimney repair technician should examine when he or she comes to your home is always a good idea. With that in mind, here are a few tips about common areas where issues typically arise as well as the best time to call a professional in for help.

1. Flue Liner

Chimneys have liners known as “flues.” This liner or flue is an especially important part of the chimney responsible for funneling combustibles and smoke from your fireplace and out of your home safely. As you might imagine, being exposed to so much heat and debris can cause this element to breakdown over time, leading to issues like deterioration, cracks, or plain old wear and tear. You should have your Toronto chimney cleaner pay special attention to this part of your chimney to ensure it’s functioning well and keeping harmful byproducts away from you and your loved ones.

2. Chimney Crown

Another important part of chimneys is the crown. Found at the very top of a chimney, a crown keeps debris and water from making their way into your fireplace and home. If this part of your chimney needs repair, you could find its overall structural integrity affected by water damage and wind up spending thousands of dollars to repair the subsequent problems. Keeping a close eye on your chimney’s crown can help avoid these potential issues, as can reaching out to an experienced chimney repair technician in Toronto.

3. Bricks and Mortar Joints

Are your chimney’s bricks and mortar joints in good condition? This is in an important question to ask for a few different reasons. First, you need to locate and fix loose, spalled, or cracked bricks as quickly as possible to keep your chimney in good repair – putting this off or overlooking the issue could lead to serious damage. Second, issues with your bricks and mortar joints could be indicative of additional problems in other areas of the chimney, including an ineffective or otherwise compromised crown.

4. When should I call a chimney repair technician?

The question on most people’s minds is when they should have their fireplace inspected. The best answer is that it depends upon a few different factors. As a general rule of thumb, you should have your chimney examined at least once a year in order to find any potential issues early and ward serious problems off. If you use your fireplace quite often, however, you should consider having it examined both before winter begins as well as after it ends. This will ensure your chimney is ready to handle the heavy use winter can bring and that the season didn’t cause too much damage.

Chimney repair services in Toronto specialize in keeping your chimney in great shape. The professionals at Turnbull Masonry can help ensure that yours is working perfectly and is ready to take on the colder weather. Reach out to us today for more information!