One day you look up at your chimney and you see a gap between your home and the chimney itself. What would you do? Most homeowners would try to fill in the gap with a product from the big box store, but this is the time to contact a professional for an inspection. The professional team at United Structural Systems will come to your house and investigate that leaning chimney of Chicagoland.
Unfortunately, a leaning chimney usually indicates that there is a bigger problem happening with your foundation. If not corrected by professionals, your home is now becoming an unsafe place for your family. Sometimes there are cracked bricks with a leaning chimney. You don’t want any loose bricks to fall on someone or your roof and create a hole or crack. Any hole that would be created can allow water to get in under the shingles and make its way to interior of your home. Now you have a bigger problem that will need your attention.
Leaning chimneys can be sign of poor construction right from the very beginning. If the footings are too shallow, the chimney is not well supported from the bottom. If you notice a lot of water in the soil around the base of the chimney, it could be sinking or settling because of its weight. If your chimney leans, that could mean that the furnace and fireplace gases that need to get out could be getting into your home and your family will be breathing them.
United Structural Systems can use helical piers to straighten and strengthen your chimney. The helical piers are installed at the base of the chimney and then attached to a bracket at the base of the chimney. This now provides the support needed to protect your home and possibly that of your neighbors. Once this has been done, now is when the professionals can check your foundation for further issues. The team should be looking over any other areas of the chimney that need repair due to the leaning. Be sure to check the mortar between the bricks to make sure none of it has loosened. Make sure your contractors check the soil and water drainage around the chimney.
If you have a leaning chimney in Chicagoland, you really do need to have an inspection done by United Structural Systems. We will be able to inspect the chimney and surrounding area and help you decide what will be the best possible solution to make it strong and stable again.
