About Chimney Waterproofing
Chimney waterproofing is the act of treating your chimney so that no water gets inside it. There are many benefits that come with this practice. These benefits include:
Erosion
When you waterproof your chimney you don’t have to worry of erosion. The waterproofing materials seal even minor chimney crevices thus preventing water from finding its water into the crevices. You should note that when water gets into the crevices, it stays there. When it gets cold, the water freezes and expands. This pushes the bricks apart causing large cracks where water can leak through.
Rotting
Even if you live in an area where freezing doesn’t take place, stagnant water comes with a number of challenges. One of the major challenges being rotting. When water stands inside the chimney crevices, it attracts mold which can cause serious damage and discoloration to the chimney.
If the mold stays on the chimney for a long time, it will eventually spread to other which results to weakening of the chimney and eventually it might break apart.
Guide on how to waterproof the chimney
You should start by measuring the surface area of the chimney. This is to enable you to know the amount of waterproofing material that you need.
If the chimney has mold, dirt, creosote, efflorescence, or rust, you should undertake chimney cleaning. To clean the chimney thoroughly, you should use a cleaner. You can clean the chimney on your own; however, if you don’t have time or skills, you should hire a chimney cleaning professional to help you out.
If your chimney has any defects, you should repair it. For ideal results you should hire a chimney repair contractor to do the work for you.
Once you are through, you should protect the non-target areas. This is to prevent the overspray from getting to the shingles thus causing discoloration. For ideal results, you should use a canvas drop cloth or an absorbent material. You should avoid using plastic drop cloths as they get slippery thus the overspray can easily get into the room even with the protective material being present.
Once everything is in place you should apply the water repellant. You should start from the bottom of the chimney and slowly work your way to the top. For ideal results, you should apply a flood coat that is heavy enough so that it runs about 6”-8” from the area that you are spraying. For optimum results you should apply two coats of the chimney waterproofing product.
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