The Irish Sweep is still accepting calls to answer questions and schedule any service needs. However, no on-site visits are currently being conducted pursuant to the government's stay in place order. Please feel free to contact us at 510.521.4088 to get answers to your questions or schedule a future appointment.

IS YOUR CHIMNEY READY FOR RAIN?

chimney leaks when it rains

How do you spend a rainy day?

  • Hot cocoa, a roaring fire, and your favorite DVD playing;
  • Enjoying a big bowl of soup and a great book cuddled up in front of the fire;
  • Or, how about having all your friends over to enjoy drinks and conversation next to the warm glow of a fire.

Now that the Bay Area is actually getting rain, it is time to build a fire and pick your favorite way to enjoy the weather. The question, though, is do you know if your chimney is up for the challenge?

Rain is not your chimney’s best friend; mortar (the material that holds the bricks in your chimney together) actually dissolves in water. A good soaking will weaken the joints and diminish the structural integrity of the structure. During the next break in the storms, here are some things to find out about your chimney to keep that fire roaring safely in your fireplace:

  • Be sure that your gutters do not overflow onto the chimney. The best way to do that is to hire a professional to clean out the gutters!
  • Do your downspouts come close to the base of the chimney? If so, make sure they point away from the chimney and that water is not able to flow back towards your home.
  • Does the chimney crown direct moisture away from the structure?
  • Do you have a flue cap to prevent water intrusion? (Flue caps also have spark arrestors, an important safety feature for those not-so-wet times of year.)
  • Do you know if a professional has waterproofed the chimney?

If, at any point in that list you said, “Uh, I don’t know,” or, “how would I know?” it is time to think about hiring a chimney sweep.

At the term “chimney sweep,” many imaginations conjure up some Charles Dickens image of an orphan working for nothing – or the movie Mary Poppins. The modern day chimney sweep does not come close, if for no other reason than there is a licensing process now in place. Today’s chimney sweep does more than just clean; they install, inspect, and repair from the base of the fireplace to the tip of the chimney crown.

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