Professional Retaining Wall Contractors in Aloha, OR

When wood is burned the smoke and exhaust goes up the flue. There it cools and dries and forms a deposit called creosote on the insides of the chimney walls. Creosote is a flammable material and can catch on fire inside the chimney. If it does catch it can burn even hotter than the fire in the fireplace and can spread to the wood framing and cause a house fire.

Fireplaces smoke for many reasons. Here are a few main ones: Some need an outside air vent so combustion air is provided to the fireplace. Sometimes the fireplace opening is too high and the ceiling of the house competes with the chimney for the smoke. In this case a smoke guard can be installed to effectively lower the height of the firebox. Another common smoke problem is caused by the wind. A stiff breeze blowing across the top of the flue can interrupt the draft and cause smoke to puff into the house. Wind directional caps can correct this problem.

Tuck pointing is where mortar joints between bricks are repaired. Usually this is done by grinding out the bad, soft or damaged areas and putting new mortar in.

It repairs damaged areas and makes the brick work last longer. It keeps the brick from getting loose and helps one avoid having to rebuild. It also keeps water from penetrating and causing damage.

You can tuck point when the mortar is damaged but the bricks are not loose. Once the bricks become loose they must be torn off to where they are solid, then they must be re-laid or replaced.