Chimney Services
Inside a tuckpointing job in Winter Springs
Mortar conditions that call for repointing
Five conditions warrant repointing, according to Brick Industry Association Technical Note 46: mortar eroded more than 1/4 inch deep, crumbling mortar, voids in the mortar, hairline cracks within the mortar and cracks where brick meets mortar. Each of them can let moisture into the masonry.
During the free inspection we check each face of the chimney for those conditions, from the lowest visible course to the courses under the crown. Joints that are only weathered on the surface can often stay. Joints that are open, hollow or soft are marked for repointing and included in the written estimate.
Chimney cracks that point to movement
Some cracks come from the chimney moving rather than the mortar wearing. A crack that steps diagonally through several courses, runs through brick as well as joints or keeps widening is a different problem, and Technical Note 46 places structural cracks outside ordinary maintenance, calling for professional investigation of the cause.
Filling those cracks with new mortar would hide the symptom for a while and leave the cause in place. When our specialists see signs of movement on a chimney in Winter Springs, we explain what we found, and the options may include rebuilding part of the stack. Tuckpointing is recommended only where the masonry is stable.
Weather and curing for new chimney joints
Heat and sun change how fresh mortar sets. The Park Service brief notes that wall temperatures between 40 and 95 degrees F prevent freezing or excessive evaporation of the water in the mortar, and it recommends working in shade, away from strong sunlight, to slow drying in hot weather.
For high-lime mortars the brief also describes light misting for a day or two after tooling so the joints do not dry out too fast. Our crew plans the work on your chimney around sun, heat and rain, and we tell you what care, if any, the new joints need once we leave.
Scheduling repointing around storm season
Atlantic hurricane season covers June 1 through November 30 each year. Wind-driven rain pushes water into any joint that has opened, and a chimney with failed mortar takes that water into the brick and toward the house.
Booking the free inspection early in the year leaves time to repoint before the season, when the schedule and the weather both allow. Repointing booked within 72 hours of that inspection is 10% off.
