Chimney Services
The parts of a masonry repair in Elder Springs
The masonry details we watch for in Elder Springs, with the guidance behind them.
When a crack calls for an engineer's opinion
The Brick Industry Association separates routine maintenance from structural distress. Its maintenance guidance names conditions it treats as structural and says they generally warrant investigation by a professional engineer, including these.
If our crew sees any of them, you hear about it before a repair price is written. Filling a crack that movement caused tends to reopen, so the cause is settled first and the masonry repair follows.
- A crack wider than 0.075 inch, roughly 2 mm
- A single crack crossing more than one brick
- Cracking that zigzags in steps or runs on a diagonal
- Spalling spread across a large area of brick
- A section bowed or pushed out of line
Packing deep joints in thin layers
The Brick Industry Association's maintenance note describes filling deep joints in layers about a quarter inch thick, tooling each one once it is thumbprint hard, instead of packing the whole depth in one pass. Thin layers cure evenly and bond to the layer beneath them.
It takes longer, and it is one of the differences you cannot see on the day the job ends. A joint filled in one heavy pass can shrink away from the brick and open a fine path for water. We build joints up the slower way because a chimney gets no shelter from the weather, and the repair has to hold for many seasons.
Checking your chimney between visits
The Brick Industry Association suggests inspecting brick masonry periodically, preferably each season, using binoculars or a nearby roof area to see high brickwork up close. It also notes that chimneys, sills and copings face harsher exposure and may need repairs sooner than the walls below them.
From the ground you can watch for new cracks, missing mortar, white staining and brick faces that have flaked away. Indoors, look for stains on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney. If anything changes, call us with what you noticed and when. A follow-up inspection is free, and it often catches a problem while it is still small.
