Serving Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and beyond
Serving Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and beyond
Cracked Chimney
A cracked chimney is more than just an eyesore, it's a sign of a much bigger issue with your home's foundation. The severity of the chimney damage can vary from house to house, but it's important for homeowners to keep an eye out for any signs of chimney damage and to call a foundation expert before the issue becomes worse.
LRE Foundation Repair offers cracked chimney repair for residents in Florida. If you notice any signs of chimney damage, contact our team for your free inspection!
For most homes, the chimney's foundation is added to the home's foundation during construction. The foundations must be built on supportive soil to hold the weight, otherwise they can settle into the ground.
Since the home and the chimney are built on separate foundations, the settlement can cause the chimney to separate from the house. The longer this goes untreated, the bigger the cracks will get and the more damage will be done.
The type of soil that your foundation was built on has a big impact on its support. If it was built on weaker soils, the foundation is susceptible to settling and causing damage. As a homes foundation is extremely heavy, it needs to be built on strong and supportive soils to hold the weight of your home.
There are many different types of soils that can impact your foundation's support. While some soils are very strong and supportive, others may be too weak and cause a cracked chimney if your foundation settles.
Depending on the severity of your home's foundation settlement, the symptoms of a cracked chimney can vary. Some symptoms can be easier to spot than others, so it's important to know what to look out for and when to call a professional for an opinion.
A crack in your chimney is a telltale sign of foundation settlement issues. As your foundation settles, it sinks into the ground and puts pressure on your chimney, causing it to crack.
Chimney cracks can appear in a few different ways. They often appear as stair-step cracks in the brick as a result of the stress put on the chimney. Cracks can also appear along the masonry joints.
Aside from chimney cracks, there can also be large gaps in between the house and the chimney. As your foundation settles, it can cause the chimney to settle into the ground and cause gaps between your house and your chimney.
The gap can become bigger as your foundation continues to settle, so it's important to get your chimney looked at immediately if you notice any gaps.
A cracked chimney is often a sign of foundation settlement issues, so the foundation must be fixed in order to repair the cracked chimney. A common myth is that the cracks can be filled with caulk to repair the chimney. While this is a temporary solution to cover the crack, it will not fix the underlying problem.
Caulking the crack will only simply cover the crack until the foundation continues to settle and ultimately increases the crack, making the caulk useless.
The best solution for repairing a cracked chimney is to fix the foundation settlement issue that caused the cracks in the first place. Installing foundation piers will help stabilize your home's foundation and potentially lift it back into place, which will ultimately fix the cracks in your chimney.
If your home has a cracked chimney, rely on LRE Foundation Repair to repair your foundation and restore your home's value. Contact us today for your free inspection for chimney repair!
