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In addition to allowing cold air in or warm air out, open mortar joints can allow water to enter into the wall system and cause deterioration in the wood framing stud walls, basement leaks,promote mould growth and damage interior wall surfaces and flooring. Not to mention the deterioration of the brick, which can begin to “spall “ (spalling is where the face of the brick begin to erode and fall from the remainder of the brick unit - due to water accumulation and freezing/thawing cycles which occur every year).
Tuck-pointing or rebuilding your chimney are methods for resolving these issues and a proper method of doing so is covered under the specifications section of this web-site.Brick replacement can be carried out to remove and replace any damaged units.
Chimney Hearths and Liners
Chimney drafts are common. Like the example given by David Suzuki (a basketball sized hole in the home), the size of any chimney opening is adequate to allow heat to escape or cold air to enter. Proper tuck-pointing or chimney re-building can ensure the chimney is solid. However, the proper installation of a liner and hearth can stop heat loss and use less energy to heat the areas intended and this is also an effective method to vent gases from the home. It will also ensure that the energy used, is to heat the home, not the outdoors. |
While caulking the open voids around windows and doors is an effective method of lowering energy costs - holes in chimneys, fireplaces and even the wall system can also be a source of air infiltration and ex-filtration (air coming in or going out). Standard methods of addressing these deficiencies are through the masonry trades and are called tuck-pointing or masonry rebuilding.