Chimney repairs

Chimney lining is one method of fixing a leaking chimney.  In addition, your chimney may need repointing, or the pots on the top of the stack may need to be reflaunched with sand and cement mix with lime in it.  If water is allowed to increase into the chimney flue, it increases the chance of damp issues and deteriorates the lining on the inside of the flue.  Our HETAS registered fitters and chimney lining experts can advise on which chimney lining system is best for the leaking chimney stack.

Often stacks that are standing tall above the roof line may be susceptible to more damage from the prevailing wind.  Driving rain on the face of the chimney stack, with the wind, weakens and wears away the joints between the bricks.  The other side away from the wind will have normal, slow wear due to the water content around it freezing in the winter.  During this expansion and contraction tensions are set up which tends to make the chimney lean and ultimately topple.

Often after raking out the old pointing a lime mortar is all that is required to give a new lease of life. In more serious cases, the top layer of bricks will need to be removed and refitted, strengthening the top of the stack.

Smoke problems

Leaking chimneys are dangerous because they can leak harmful smoke into yours or your neighbour’s homes and into your loft spaces or bedrooms.  This can be seen coming into the room through skirting boards or in severe cases, the constructional hearth.  It is also common on our free site surveys to see the results of a smoke test coming through the top faces of the chimney stack and from underneath the chimney pots.

Chimney pots made from baked clay have a lower weather resistance than the main chimney stack and therefore crack and wear at a faster rate.  We source a wide range of chimney pots to be able to match your broken ones.  Another solution is to remove the broken pot and refit with a pot in a less prominent position with a sounder one from a less conspicuous place.

Chimney stacks which are not in place should have the pots capped to stop rain coming in.  However ventilation is vital to prevent the build-up of damp in the chimney flue.