What Is Chimney Saver?
Midtown Chimney Sweeps stands ready to apply the Chimney Saver product to the exterior of your masonry brick chimney. With that treatment, the chimney will retain its coloring and be water-resistant for years to come. The Brick Industry Association states that chimneys require special attention and maintenance to prevent costly damage caused by water penetration. Because chimneys project above the roof line, they’re vulnerable to the elements. Nearly every chimney you encounter bears signs of water damage and would highly benefit from an application of Chimney Saver!
The first step is to recognize the issue and then find the best corrective measures. Chimney Saver, the first sealing product developed specifically for chimneys, has been used by leading chimney professionals for nearly 20 years. It eliminates virtually all water penetration into the masonry materials, according to ASTM International tests conducted at the University of Wyoming. Midtown Chimney Sweeps most often uses this product in cold, harsh, and moist regions of the country.
Why Chimney Saver Is a Good Idea:
- A penetrating water repellent that contains a proprietary modified siloxane.
- Absorbs into masonry, brick, stone, and cement up to 1/4 inch or more, depending on surface porosity and moisture content at the time of application.
- Reacts with the minerals in masonry bricks when exposed to ultraviolet light and atmospheric moisture. This reaction forms strong, permanent bonds beneath the surface that prevent water molecules from penetrating, yet simultaneously allow free migration of water vapors.
- Becomes an integral part of the substrate and provides long-term water repellent protection.
- Seals the bricks of leaking chimneys.
Masonry and concrete always contain moisture. Rain water forms a silicone coating that traps water vapors inside. If these vapors cannot escape, they will contribute to chipping, deterioration, and freeze-thaw damage. But the technicians at Midtown Chimney Sweeps use chimney saver to help you avoid such hassles. Chimney Saver is 100% vapor-permeable – it serves as a barrier only in the way that you would hope.
Why Use a Chimney Protectant like Chimney Saver?
Water on the outside of the chimney penetrates, or absorbs, into the masonry stone and brick and then freezes. This literally pops off the top layer of the brick (especially red clay bricks). It chips off the brick in small chunks. You may be most familiar with this seeing concrete driveways in cold climates have a chipped surface creating puddles, which in turn collect water and facilitate the freeze-thaw cycle again. On roadways we refer to these rapidly deteriorating surfaces as “pot holes”. This is called spalling. It can be easily prevented by applying a siloxane or silane based water resistant product over the vertical faces of the chimney. Chimney saver is far different and far better than water-proofing compounds for several reasons.
Why does Midtown Chimney Sweeps not recommend waterproofing agents for chimneys?
- The foremost reason is simply that no waterproof agent externally applied can seal 100% of the surface area. Therefore moisture can still get behind the waterproof coating on the vertical surface and pool and freeze on the bed joints of the brick work (the bed joint is the technical name for the horizontal portion of a masonry joint between bricks) or soak into the clay- leading to spalling again. (Thompson’s Water Sealer is an example of a waterproofing agent that is less than ideal for masonry surfaces).
- The second reason is that waterproofing sealants form external membranes on the masonry surface that result in UV deterioration and eventual discoloration and peeling and chipping and unsightly flakes. So you end up with something like a clear veneer peeling off your chimney sometimes like a wood varnish will peel off of a beautiful wood door after a few years of exposure.
Arrange for a Midtown technician to apply Chimney Saver for the sake of, well, saving your chimney!
If you need water protection for your chimney, call the Midtown Chimney Sweeps team today!
