Chimneys Toronto
Despite the fact that chimney maintenance is so important, people tend to either forget about them or neglect them. Often it is simply that they are not that noticeable when walking around the yard. In this article by Wilkens Contracting Inc. we will talk about the importance of chimneys in Toronto. Read on for more information.

The most common problem with chimneys in Toronto is wear and tear due to the elements and the exhaust of your heating system. As the chimney is completely unprotected from the weather it gets deteriorated more rapidly than the house walls. Since the advent of more efficient heating systems chimneys in Toronto are subject to condensation from the warm exhaust of the furnace or boiler coming into contact with the cooler air of the exposed chimney above the roof. The damage shows up as either the mortar joints wearing out or the bricks crumbling or spalling. If the mortar joints are eroding the repair could be as easy as simple tuck pointing. Once the bricks begin to rot the chimney usually needs rebuilding. The reason for rebuilding at that point is that the spalling bricks are the worst and easily visible. The adjacent bricks will have degraded as well so replacing just the few obvious ones will still leave you with an unsound structure. Most chimneys can be rebuilt from the roof up as below the roofline they are well protected by the eaves and haven’t been worn out.

As a note, when having your chimney rebuilt many people are sold precast concrete caps. These are fine but were not in use until the 50s as well. On older homes Wilkens Contracting Inc. prefers to corbel the top of the chimney to maintain the period design. Many homeowners are told the reason for the chimneys wear was the lack of the precast cap which is simply not the case. The reasons are stated above. To verify this for yourself you simply need to go to an older part of town and look at the chimneys. These homes are older than most of the homes in Toronto and are still in good condition and were mostly have a corbel at the top. It is wear and tear that deteriorates the chimney, not the crown design. I think a corbel, in keeping with the design of your home, looks much better.

If your chimney is in need of repairs, you can trust the professionals at Wilkens Contracting Inc. to get things back in shape. With years of experience, no chimney is too damaged for our skilled team. For more information about how we can repair and restore chimneys in Toronto, please feel free to continue browsing through our website. Click here to find our contact information and to request a quote.