Will I Find a Chimney When the Snow Melts in Spring?
The team at Superior Chimney had a few calls concerning the lack of visibility of their chimney. Yup, that’s right, the angle of the snow versus the angle of the chimney on top of the house has buried much of it. Homeowners are concerned asking, “will I find a chimney when the snow melts in Spring?” Will bricks come loose? Will mortar bill missing? Will a water leak form? Lots of great questions.
Will I Find a Chimney When the Snow Melts in Spring?
The winter of 2026 is definitely a challenging time. The deep cold temperatures mixed with ice and snow has made conditions harsh for the chimney. If you as the homeowner received a chimney inspection this past year, then odds are minimal that no major problems will be had, especially if you kept up with any repairs. If you haven’t had a chimney inspection, regardless of use of the fireplace, then your chances can be much greater of having repairs.
What Kind of Repairs May Be Ahead?
The chimney repairs can be minimal to a chimney rebuild. Let’s take a look at each kind.
Chimney Rebuild: a chimney rebuild is when there is structural damage. There’re too many repairs that need to be done that it becomes cost prohibitive and a chimney rebuild is the most cost effective solution. What are some tell-tale signs? Here are 6 signs to watch for:
- Brick spalling or missing bricks: brick spalling is when the face of the bricks are flaking or crumbling. Or if the bricks fall out and missing spaces are easily seen. Both situations are serious and may be beyond repair.
- Chimney mortar fails: there are times when the mortar has cracks or a small piece is missing. That would be a chimney mortar repair. However, if the mortar is crumbly, falling or fell out from in between the bricks or stone, then it may need to be rebuilt.
- The leaners: Chimneys can get the leaners when it hasn’t had care and attention for a long period of time. This is when the structure naturally starts to lean to a side due to deterioration. This will result in a chimney rebuild.
- The continuous chimney leak: if the homeowner has experienced numerous chimney leaks after many repairs have been made, then this may mean that the inner workings or core of the chimney has been compromised. This will result in a chimney rebuild.
- Chimney crown: there are times that the chimney crown has seen better days. It has big, wide cracks or chunks of the chimney crown is missing. Together with the missing mortar and possible spalling, that’s a sure recipe for a chimney rebuild.
- Flue liner failed: if you don’t have a stainless steel flue liner, you may have clay tiles in the chimney. When a winter such as this year occurs, the clay tiles can crack and fall away from the wall. Depending on the condition, this may result in a chimney rebuild.
A chimney repair is going to be less severe and can bring the integrity of the chimney back into alignment. Such as:
- If the chimney mortar damage is shallow then tuckpointing will be enough to repair.
- If the chimney crown has small, hairline cracks, then it can be repaired and the strength of the chimney crown is restored.
- Flashing or other entry point is the only source of a leak, and hasn’t done extensive damage to the core, it can be repaired.
- If the bricks are still strong and not crumbling to the touch, it can be repaired.
Now that you have the basics down, let Superior Chimney inspect your chimney system to help determine the condition. Will I Find a Chimney When the Snow Melts in Spring? Our certified team will do all we can to make that happen!Contact us today at877-244-6349.
This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net
