A chimney is an important element for any home, new or old. You are completely reliant on your chimney to effectively channel smoke up, out and away from your home, keeping your home's air healthy and free of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide (also known as CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that can be fatal not only to children, but their parents as well. When a flue develops cracks on either the inside or outside, you may have serious problems that could threaten the lives of your family. For these reasons, among the money saved by not hiring a contractor, any family who owns a home with a chimney should look into repairing, as well as performing routine maintenance on their chimney.

For older homes, their chimney is made of brick and mortar. Mortar connects the bricks together in a way that creates a long passage for hot air, smoke and other dangerous toxins to escape. As the mortar heats and cools day in and day out through normal use of your fireplace, it is likely to crack, and even wash out entirely after a period of 20 years. While this is typically long lived, and some homeowners feel they can simply wait it out, more often than not this requires a complete rebuild, rather than an inexpensive maintenance plan.

Before making any sorts of repairs, it's important to first inspect and then make certain all debris is removed from the chimney walls. As time goes on, tar and other contaminants can build up, leaving thick layers of creosote on the flue walls. Historically, this has been done by a chimney sweep, using a sweep of a specific diameter to brush away the insides of the chimney wall. In addition, there exists products such as the creosote sweeping log, that releases chemicals designed to loosen up this buildup to make the sweeping easier.

From here, it's simply a matter of stepping on to the roof of your home and inspecting the joints of the bricks for cracks and other faults. Once these are located, apply new mortar to the affected area, and let dry. While the joint does not need to be cracked in order for mortar to be applied, this will cost more than simply applying mortar to the affected areas. Beyond this, it is advised to hire a professional for deeper repairs. This type of work is not only skill intensive, but it can be dangerous given the height of most roofs, and should be left to a professional.