Fall is in full swing and you want to take advantage of your fireplace for the holidays – but while racking the leaves you notice a slight lean in the chimney -- what to do?

You do not want to use your fireplace if you think your chimney is out of alignment or not working properly. Leaning or crumbling creates blockage and improper ventilation (carbon monoxide poisoning is not the best way to greet Santa). If you are feeling up to the challenge stabilizing your chimney – keep reading for tips based on this story gone wrong by Dave, one of our member service reps.

Dave noticed that the mortar holding the bricks together for his parent’s chimney was old; the one story house was built in the 1950s, and during a strong breeze it was ever so slightly starting to sway and shift away from the structure - similar to this picture: 

Dave did some research and thought to save the structure, he could support the chimney until his parents could afford to have the chimney repaired. He went to Home Depot the next weekend to buy the support assembly or braces to attach to the brick and wood siding of the house to keep it steady.

Over the course of the next week or so, his parents swore it was actually getting worse but Dave didn’t notice anything. Until two weeks later when the whole top-half of the chimney came crashing down.

Apparently the bricks he had attached the braces to were also loose and therefore he actually made the situation worse – now instead of being able to repair the chimney – it all had to be replaced plus the parts of the wood siding on the house needed repairing.  Dave’s parents promptly called a chimney contractor.  To rebuild the top half of the chimney took 2-3 weeks. 

Dave’s family was lucky because sometimes when chimneys fall they can bring more of the side of the house with them as well as displace the hearth.  Also, the cause of the leaning chimney was just due to age – often enough leaning chimneys are caused due to problems with foundation – either the chimney’s or the house is actually shifting away from the chimney. In those cases a structural engineer may be required.

It is highly recommended to repair your chimney when you notice structural problems instead of using a support assembly. However, braces are useful in preventing more damage when attached properly because they take the stress off of the structure until it can be repaired. This is a temporary solution (not more than a couple of months at best) until a professional can fix the chimney.

Remember – replacing a chimney costs significantly more than simply repairing the chimney.

(Top photo from iowa_spirit_walker)