Having a fireplace at home can be comforting and pleasant, but it does also expose a house to certain dangers. Every chimney, for example, creates the possibility of potentially damaging leaks that would not be a threat to a home without a chimney.
Immediately upon becoming aware of a Chimney Leak Rockville, residents will always do well to make an appointment with a local company like Reliable Roofers Inc. Most such problems can be fixed quite easily and inexpensively, with a few underlying issues being the most common to address.
Chimneys are Almost Necessarily More Prone to Leaking Than Other Parts of a Home
A well-built roof might be expected to stand up well for many years without succumbing to leaking and related problems. The very nature of a chimney, however, makes it more vulnerable to such issues than other parts of a home around it.
In practice, most leaking chimneys suffer from one of a handful of common problems. When diagnosing a Chimney Leak Rockville, experts will most often look into possibilities such as:
• Leaking cover.
• A chimney will normally have some sort of cover installed at the very top that deflects rainfall away from its opening. Naturally enough, any problem with that part can easily lead to persistent leaking. Some chimney covers suffer storm damage that prevents them from protecting a home as designed. Others simply deteriorate over time and end up needing to be replaced.
• Cracked crown.
• The bricks that make up most chimneys normally give way to an unbroken crown of cement at the top. The chimney crown is especially critical to its ability to keep rain, snow, and hail from penetrating the lower areas of the chimney. After being subject to temperature-induced expansion and contraction for years, a chimney’s crown can easily crack and begin letting moisture through its walls.
Most Chimney Leaks Can be Fixed Quickly and Inexpensively
Fortunately, chimney problems like these and other common ones can almost always be solved without much difficulty or expense. Because a leaking chimney will always expose a home to the threat of even more damage, having an expert attend to the matter right away will be the best possible response in every case.