Why do the bricks near the top of my chimney look more worn than the rest?
Answer
That’s the part of the chimney that takes the biggest beating. Rain, snow, wind — everything hits the top first and the hardest. We’ve done a lot of chimney repairs in Shelby Township, and this is something we see all the time.
What usually happens is the mortar joints start breaking down first, then the brick faces follow. Once that starts, it doesn’t stay contained to just the top — it keeps working its way down.
In most cases, we’re removing and replacing the damaged bricks up top and tightening everything back up so it stops spreading.
