Temperatures are cooling and that means fall is upon us with winter right around the corner. It is the perfect time to start using your home’s fireplace to keep you warm on those chilly nights. But, before you light that first fire, check to see if your chimney is leaning or tilting. If it is, then it is a good idea to hold off on that fire and call in the foundation experts.
Why is A Leaning Chimney Dangerous?
A leaning or tilting chimney can be a sign of deeper foundation issues. When checking to see if your chimney is leaning, make sure to look for gaps or cracks between your home’s siding and chimney. The gaps in the chimney allow unwelcome insects and water drainage in, which can further damage your home. The other danger of a leaning chimney is the chance of it collapsing in on your home or your neighbor’s home. The earlier you catch your leaning chimney, the less damage your foundation and home will endure.
Common causes of a leaning chimney include:
– The expanding and contracting of the soil under your foundation
– Your foundation settling
– Water is improperly draining
– Foundation construction is poor
Fixing a Chimney is NOT a Do It Yourself Project
Often, your chimney is the heaviest part of your home. If it is not fixed correctly, it can really damage the rest of the foundation of your home. This leads to leaning walls, wall cracks, foundation cracks, or bowing walls. This is a repair that is best left to the experts that have the necessary tools and experience to professionally and safely repair your chimney.
How does Dry Basement® Help?
Dry Basement® uses top of the line hydraulically driven piers to realign your tilting chimney along with strengthening your home’s foundation. We use the HouseHolder® Pier System which supports the foundation below your home. The HouseHolder® Pier System was built specifically for homes and soil conditions found in the Midwest. As of January 2020, we have installed more than 38,500 foundation brackets without a single bracket failure.
Contact Us
If signs of foundation settlement are starting to appear in your chimney, then contact the professionals at Dry Basement® Foundation Repair for a free inspection and evaluation. Our estimators have been trained and certified by licensed structural engineers. They will talk with you, examine your foundation, and develop the best configuration to repair your foundation and permanently solve your foundation problem. We’ll include a written summary and cost estimate for fixing the problem.