Say you’ve waited until now, as the temperatures start to drop all over the country, to worry about the integrity of the brick and other masonry surfaces on your chimney. Although a little late in the season, it is better for you to have taken an interest now as opposed to waiting for spring due to the fact that the temperature fluctuates so greatly in most parts of the country. Water that freezes and melts and freezes and melts when sitting in any hairline crack on your chimney’s crown or brick will make the crack progressively bigger until repairing it is no longer an option and a portion of the chimney must be rebuilt. This type of a rebuild is very expensive, and although it is the most durable repair using a product to seal cracks and other defects to the chimney, especially the crown, will extend the life of your chimney. Often times, resurfacing the crown is necessary. I recommend products later in the article.
If there are any cracks that exist in the crown currently, you will need to fill them with a high quality silicon sealant. This sealant will allow a crown resurfacing product to be applied such that it will be smooth and not allow water to pool anywhere. A silicon sealant can be picked up from any home improvement store.
A lot of products meant for repairing masonry surfaces have difficulty curing properly in very cold temperatures which many folks throughout the United States are currently experiencing. It’s not too late to resurface the crown, however, after any cracks have been filled. ChimneySaver Cold Weather Crown Coat has been formulated just for the people who like to wait until the last second in order to winter-proof their home. This product is for the person who doesn’t order their firewood for burning until it is already getting down into the thirties as overnight temperatures.
This product uses Freeze-Cure(TM) technology such that it cures regularly in temperatures above freezing but cures at an accelerated rate when the temperature is below freezing.Be careful however when storing the product- it will cure if the overnight temperature drops down below freezing so it is recommended to be stored in temperatures above freezing. My servicemen remove it from their trucks after the day is over to prevent waste.