Your chimney is essential to allowing you to have a fireplace inside your home and still have breathable air. It allows smoke to escape and air to feed the fire in small doses. However, if you have a masonry chimney that has begun to lean or shows signs of damage, it may be putting your home and family in danger. Chimney repairs are not something you should procrastinate about fixing as they can potential be harmful, even when you are not using your fireplace.

Masonry chimneys can last for many decades when maintained. Occasional cleanings and small repairs to bricks is often all that is needed to keep them safe and intact. However, they do depend on a solid foundation to stay stable; sinking foundations can cause a leaning chimney that can come crashing down at any time. In addition, you can have a small chimney fire without knowing it that can damage the masonry from the inside out.

Once the integrity of the chimney is compromised, it becomes a dangerous element in your home. Single bricks can topple, endangering those below, or the entire chimney could fall, putting your family and home at risk. If the interior has been damaged, there is a higher chance that a small chimney fire can spread to the rest of your home instead of being contained inside the flue walls.

Considering the dangers, it is never a good idea to put off a chimney repair. If you notice your chimney is leaning or has cracks, call a masonry expert for an inspection. It is not worth the risk to your home and family – get your chimney repaired as quickly as possible.

Posted on behalf of:
Anglin’s Foundation & Masonry Repairs
1027 Oregon Trail
Marietta, GA 30008
(770) 422-2924