Question 1

Are Chimney Repointing and Chimney Rebuilding the Same Thing?

Accepted Answer

No, though if you don’t handle a recommended chimney repointing project in a timely manner, it can turn into a chimney rebuilding project instead. Chimney repointing is the process of replacing crumbling chimney mortar before it completely fails.

By comparison, chimney rebuilding is the process undertaken when you’ve begun to lose bricks. Typically, at this point, it’s too late to repoint the mortar by removing the bad mortar and replacing it, and much more extensive work is required to get your chimney back into working order.

Whatever your situation is, the experienced chimney professionals at Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace are able to help you fix the issues so that you can use your fireplace safely once again.

Question 2

Why is Chimney Rebuilding Necessary?

Accepted Answer

When you first buy a home or business with an existing chimney, it can seem like a strong, permanent fixture that will last for centuries. Unfortunately, if regular maintenance and repairs aren’t undertaken, your chimney can fail just as much as any other part of your home. But do you need to have your chimney rebuilt?

Chimney rebuilding prevents chimney fires. When you have a fire in your fireplace, fumes and compounds exit your home with the smoke. If your chimney is in bad shape, creosote can build up and cause a chimney fire.
Chimney rebuilding prevents house fires. If your chimney isn’t in good condition and you try to have a fire in your fireplace attached to it, the heat can escape the chimney system through cracks and lead to a house fire, putting your home and loved ones at risk.
Chimney rebuilding guarantees safer air. The same cracks that could allow heat to escape you’re your home from your chimney during a chimney fire are the same cracks that can allow carbon monoxide to build up in your home, causing organ damage, suffocation, and death.
Chimney rebuilding prevents other damage to your home. When your chimney system fails, it’s not just your fireplace and chimney that are suffering damage. Bricks can fall onto your home’s roof, exterior finishes, and windows, causing significant damage.
Without chimney rebuilding, your fireplace has limited usage. With your chimney rebuilt, you have a wide range of options, including continuing with your current fireplace or changing it at any point. Without a chimney rebuild, you’re limited to ventless gas and electric fireplace options.

When your New Braunfels, San Antonio, or Austin region chimney needs to be rebuilt, you want to get on the process quickly to prevent further damage and an ever-increasing bill. At Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace, we’ll make sure that you’re taken care of and can get back to enjoying your fireplace and chimney once again.

Question 3

Can I Rebuild My Own Chimney?

Accepted Answer

There are a wide range of technical details involved in chimney building and rebuilding, which is why we cannot stress strongly enough that this type of work must always be performed by professional CSIA-certified chimney experts. Doing this type of job incorrectly can endanger yourself, your home, your loved ones, and possibly other homes in your area.

A chimney professional understands the exacting nature of rebuilding. This ensures that you get a safe, efficient chimney that will work well for your specific situation, including airflow, draft, the extent of new material that is required, and how to make your rebuilt chimney work well with your existing systems.

For these reasons, we never recommend that homeowners or business owners attempt to rebuild their own chimney, even if they have some masonry experience. This process would give you a false sense of security that could lead to significant damage and losses.

Question 4

What Kind of Damage Do Chimney Fires Cause?

Accepted Answer

Because bricks don’t burn, most people believe that the liner and bricks in their chimney will hold up to a chimney fire. The fact is that chimneys are built to withstand smoke, not fire. What’s more, creosote fires can reach about 2,000 degrees F, while wood fires typically only reach about 1,000-1,500 degrees.

The most dangerous thing about a chimney fire in a damaged chimney is that they are incredibly quiet, so quiet that you may not realize that you have one until it spreads to your home, or you wake up feeling sick from carbon monoxide poisoning. For this reason, you should never light a fire in a fireplace linked to a chimney you suspect of having had a chimney fire or that is not structurally sound, with extensive cracks.

The most common forms of damage after a chimney fire include:

Discolored flue
Distorted, warped metal parts
Damage to items on roof
Cracked, collapsed flue tiles
Cracked, crumbled masonry
Roofing damage

Puffy creosote that appears “honey-combed”
Smoke escaping cracked mortar joints
Creosote on roof or ground near chimney

Question 5

Will my insurance cover repairs related to chimney fires?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the situation, but if you think you need to have your chimney rebuilt, your insurance company will probably state that the chimney was not well maintained and deny the claim. If you have concerns about your insurance coverage once your chimney is rebuilt, it’s important to talk to your agent about what their requirements are.

Once you know the requirements are for future coverage, our team is happy to help you through the process. We’ll provide documentation and evaluations of the project to help you get the coverage needed. Why not reach out online or give us a call now!

Question 6

Chimney Rebuilding Helps Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Accepted Answer

When you have your chimney rebuilt, we take careful steps to ensure that it’s going to contain any smoke and fumes that are generated by your fire, including carbon monoxide.

By fixing the cracks and other issues that are forming in your brickwork, we’ll ensure that you have a solid, strong chimney that will vent properly and remove the carbon monoxide along with the smoke from your fireplace to be dispersed on the wind. Rebuilding your chimney ensures the fumes and gases can smoothly, safely travel up and out of your chimney system.

However, it’s still a good idea to install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors installed in case of danger from other areas of your home.

What is carbon monoxide?

As a clear, odorless gas, carbon monoxide (CO) is extremely hard to detect and extremely dangerous. It can cause serious injury, organ damage, suffocation, and death. Because it’s hard to detect, it’s more difficult to avoid than smoke, and it’s produced when wood, natural gas, oil, or gasoline are not completely burned in your fire.

It reduces the amount of oxygen that your lungs, circulatory system, organs, and tissues can access, leading to a wide range of serious health symptoms such as:

headaches
dizziness and feeling faint
nausea and vomiting
confusion
blurred vision
breathing issues
…and many more

If not caught in time, CO poisoning can cause you to lose consciousness and suffocate, causing death. Considered a silent killer, it’s among the reasons why we always recommend including carbon monoxide detectors in your home’s safety plan.

Question 7

I Just Moved into a Home and I’m Not Sure About the Chimney?

Accepted Answer

Generally speaking, your home should have already had a level 2 chimney inspection from a CSIA-certified chimney professional prior to the sale. However, if it wasn’t, and you’re not sure about the chimney, definitely get an inspection performed ASAP.

It’s important to remember that home inspectors are not chimney professionals. They’ll take a quick look at your chimney and fireplace, but because this isn’t their specialty, they won’t necessarily pick up on the possible issues that a chimney inspector would notice, no matter how well-equipped they are for their job.

At Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace, we always recommend getting a sweep and inspection prior to sale. When it’s handled this way, serious issues can be discovered in time for them to be included in price negotiations or taken care of prior to your move-in date. You don’t want to discover expensive repairs in your new home after investing all that money, so check it out ahead of time to avoid the stress later on.

Already moved in and there was no level 2 inspection? The team at Wolfman has your back. Give us a call or schedule an online appointment, and don’t use your fireplace until we’ve given you a thorough inspection.

Question 8

How Much Does It Cost for a Chimney Rebuild?

Accepted Answer

As with most home services, the cost of a chimney rebuild depends on a lot of issues. How big is your chimney? What shape is it in?

There are any number of factors that can impact your chimney rebuild estimate and final bill. Overall, is your chimney on an exterior wall where it’s exposed to the elements? That could require extensive additional work, time, and materials to repair. Multiple flues? Larger chimneys also often have a bigger bill for rebuilding services.

Because of these issues, we strongly encourage our clients to undertake regular inspections, maintenance, and repairs. Catching these issues early can help you avoid a large bill later on. However, if your chimney has begun to fail and needs rebuilding, it’s important to get the job done now instead of later.

Going years without investing in your chimney’s care means that you’ll probably have a bigger bill, but acting now keeps that bill from getting any larger. The experienced chimney professionals at Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace have seen it all, and we’ll help you get back on track with a safe, efficient chimney that will serve you well for decades to come.