Serving You in The Puget Sound Since 1979

M&H masonry contractors, experts in masonry building & restoration for your most valued investment.

How Well Do You Know Your Chimney?

If you are like 99% of home owners, chances are that you haven't given your chimney much thought. Most home owners are surprised when they learn how important it is to maintain their chimneys structural integrity and the role that their chimney plays in a healthy and sound home.

Not All Chimneys Are Created Equal...

Depending on where you live, there are many factors in regard to properly maintaining your chimney. For instance, if you live in a wet and cold climate, like Seattle, your chimney is subjected to water and heat transfer. Over time both of these elements can destroy your chimney's structural integrity whether you use it or not. Unfortunately, home owners are unaware of the potential danger by not properly maintaining their chimney and the results can be devastating.

In 2008 alone, nearly 300 chimney-related fires were reported in the city of Seattle. Most of which would have been prevented if their fireplace had it's annual inspection and maintenance. We at M&H Chimney Sweep take the safety of you and your family seriously. We strive to give you the peace of mind knowing you can enjoy your fireplace without worry, safe from fire and from the health hazards of an unmaintained fireplace.

#1 in Service:

Our service technicians are highly trained professionals who take pride in what they do. We are dedicated in educating our customers on health and fire hazards related to their fireplaces. We want you to be safe, healthy, and happy. We treat each of our customers as if they were a part of our own family.

Top Quality Services We Provide:

Full Masonry Service

- Brick, block or stone

- Brick layers

- Masonry contractors

  Chimney Cleaning

- full 21 point inspection

- Fireplace cleaning

  Complete Chimney Repair

- Chimney & FIREPLACE restoration

- Tuck pointing

- Crown resurface & replacement

- Hearth repair

- Complete rebuilds

- Masonry needs and sealants. WATER PROOFING

- Chimney caps and custom caps

- Damper replacement

- Top mounting damper

- Fire damage repair

- Firebox repair

  Stainless Steal Chimney liners

- Insert Chimney liners 

- Wood stove liners

- Furnace liners

- ash dump and access doors

 Sealants

(If you live in a region where you experience all four seasons)

Chimney sealants offer added protection against the elements. All masonry chimneys are subjected to eventual weather damage. However, there are products available that can slow the process dramatically and even stop the weathering process.

  Firebox Repair

A firebox (the area you build a fire) is in need of repair when noticeable cracks appear (usually on the back wall) or when the joints between the firebrick show obvious mortar loss. This is due to not having a chimney cap and allowing rain to fill up behind that wall causing the deterioration to the masonry inside the fireplace.

Tuckpointing

Whether on a large or small scale, tuck pointing is often the most cost effective route to forgo in order to save your chimneys structural integrity.

A chimney is in need of a tuckpoint when the mortar between the brick or block has deteriorated to a composition of hard sand, or when the brick or block have obvious gaps (air pockets) in the mortar where water can easily intrude.

Crown Resurface

A crown resurface is needed where there are obvious expansion cracks. Expansion cracks form due to continual moisture and heat subjection. Often times a crown can be resurfaced for about half of what the cost of a replacement would be.

Crown Replacement

A crown replacement is necessary when the crown mortar components have deteriorated to a composition of hard sand or when common expansion cracks grow beyond 3/8".

Damper Replacement

Just like any other heating appliance your chimney has movable parts that eventually wear out. Most dampers are built to take some punishment but after time they eventually break.

There are damper replacement kits for almost every style chimney. The most common damper replacement kits on the market today are called top sealing dampers.

Top Sealing Dampers

A top sealing damper is a device which mounts at the exhaust point of the chimney. The damper is actuated by springs and controlled by a cable which is mounted just inside the firebox opening.

Fire Damage Repair

In most cases the home owner is unaware that a fire has taken place anywhere beyond the firebox area. In other cases a homeowner may be made aware due to a few common characteristics;

Heavy appearance of smoke, strong odors, excessive heat, or a loud roar. Often during the course of a chimney fire the homeowners had been made aware through a surprise visit from the local fire department.

In any case, chimney fires are known to leave one common characteristic behind; FIRE DAMAGE.

A fire damaged chimney must be thoroughly examined and inspected before any repairs are made. The leading cause for chimney fire is due to the excessive build up of creosote (add the definition and cause of creosote).

During the course of a chimney fire the excessive heat builds up pressure causing expansion within the smoke chamber and flue. When this expansion occurs the remaining heat pushes liquid creosote into and beyond the cracks or seals that have formed due to heat. Unless contained in reasonable time the fire can and may follow the creosote leaving your home vulnerable to fire.

If you know that you've had a chimney fire, please stop using your chimney until a full and proper examination has taken place.

Most fire damage repairs are routine. However, unless you completely understand your fire damage repair needs we recommend that you DO NOT attempt to complete the repair yourself.

Complete Rebuild

A complete chimney rebuild is necessary when the basic structure of your chimney has failed, either due to deterioration, earthquake, or ground setting.

Complete rebuilds are typically pricey. However, if completed by a quality masonry contractor your new chimneys structural integrity can last up to 50 years before needing repair.

Hearth Repair - Custom Mantels

There are hundreds of styles of hearths. We will need to come out and assess and discuss your needs.

Seattle Chimney Repair

Like most fireplaces built after 1947, yours is probably made of brick. That really has a lot to do with the type of construction used to build any type of house. After homes began using wood and clay as their primary materials, brick began to decompose. Therefore, you must make sure to hire the most experienced chimney repair team if you live anywhere near Seattle or the surrounding Mountlake Terrace areas.

  Areas We Service:

Auburn, Bothell, Bellevue, Burien, Everett, Federal Way, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Mercer Island, Monroe, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Snohomish, Woodinville, Seattle, Issaquah, Lynnwood

M&H repairs & cleans chimneys in Seattle and the Puget Sound since 1979 restoration specializing in custom masonry and repair.

Understanding Chimney Repair

Many Seattle area homeowners don't realize it, but chimneys need occasional maintenance - and they need to be constructed properly in the first place. When they aren't - or when their maintenance is completely overlooked - they can begin to fall apart and cause homeowners all sorts of problems. If your chimney is already in disrepair, it is imperative to contact a Seattle chimney repair professional as soon as possible, in order to prevent further deterioration. If your chimney is still in good shape, keep it that way by having it looked over by a professional.

The Danger Of Building Leaks

One of the most typical jobs that a Seattle area chimney restoration and repair professional faces is one that has been brought on due to building leaks. Whether a damper top has never been properly installed, or a chimney cap or crown has never been put in place, a chimney that is vulnerable to the elements can begin to show signs of erosion and other structural problems in a remarkably short period of time. Building leaks generally precipitate the need for a professional Seattle chimney repair company to come out and perform restorations and other work on a chimney.

The process of repairing and restoring a chimney can be fairly straightforward - or it can be impossibly complex. That all depends on whether or not a chimney has a flashing and a cap or a crown in place. These different elements all work to keep a chimney and a fireplace in good shape. If you are unsure whether or not your chimney has a crown, cap or flashing, you should solicit the advice of a Seattle chimney repair or restoration professional. He will be able to look everything over in order to determine how and why building leaks are damaging your chimney.

Important Components Of A Chimney

Upon looking your chimney over, a Seattle chimney repair professional will be able to tell you whether or not your chimney has a cap, crown, flashing or damper in place. Based on this information, he will be able to tell you how to proceed in terms of protecting your fireplace and chimney from building leaks. Since you may not know a whole lot about the different parts of a chimney, the basics are outlined for you below:

• Cap or Crown - A chimney cap or crown is the piece that protects the uppermost portion of your chimney. It essentially works to cage in the top of your chimney, in order to keep unwanted things out - and potentially hazardous things in. A well-designed cap or crown will extend at least 1-1/2 inches beyond the outermost edge of a chimney. When in place, it can prevent building leaks. Not only that, but chimney caps keep critters out and help prevent sparks from landing on the roof.

• Flashing - is a component that is placed approximately where the chimney meets the roof. It works to prevent building leaks and is typically made out of copper or steel. A chimney repair professional can install flashing if yours is missing, or replace it if your existing flashing is rusted or otherwise compromised.

• Damper - A damper works to seal your fireplace closed when it is not in use. This helps keep heat or air conditioning from escaping the house, and minimizes building leaks and other possible issues. Without a damper, you can easily end up spending a lot more money on your heating bill each year.

How Tuckpointing Can Help During Chimney Repair

In the case of a painted chimney that has been experiencing building leaks, a Seattle chimney repair and restoration professional may opt to use tuckpointing to fix it up. With tuckpointing, the existing mortar is essentially removed, and stronger and more waterproof mortar is used in its place. There's no way of knowing whether or not tuckpointing will work for you, however, until you have a chimney repair company come out and look things over. All around Seattle, people call upon chimney repair companies to performance maintenance on their chimneys. Many times, tuckpointing is used in order to deal with the cracking that occurs on a painted chimney.

Is Your Chimney In Tiptop Shape?

Even if your chimney isn't causing you problems right now, if you aren't having it looked at periodically by a chimney repair professional, issues are bound to crop up eventually. Leaving the chimney alone and assuming that it will be okay is the number one way to run into problems. Incredibly, many homeowners don't even know whether or not their chimneys include features like flashing, crowns, caps or dampers. Educate yourself about your chimney so that you'll be able to recognize an issue as soon as it arises - and so you can ward off more expensive problems.

Even if your chimney has a crown, cap, flashing and a damper, they may not be in the best shape possible. A damper is essentially useless if it is in disrepair or if it is simply too old. Building leaks frequently occur due to old, corroded or improperly installed dampers, so have a Seattle chimney repair professional look yours over carefully. Similarly, caps and crowns sometimes become blocked up or otherwise compromised; when that happens, their effectiveness is seriously crippled. Ask a Seattle chimney repair and restoration company to look every part of your chimney over to ensure that everything is okay.

Don't Wait Until It's Too Late!

When it comes to chimneys, prevention is vastly preferable to repairs. Look up the number of a reputable Seattle chimney repair company and have them come out and give you an estimate. Whether they perform tuckpointing or other forms of chimney repair, you will be left with the peace of mind of knowing that your chimney is functioning properly. If a chimney repair company advises you to replace various components, heed that advice; doing so can save you a lot of grief - and a lot of money - down the road.