Protecting chimney from weather

The north side of my chimney is coming part. A chimney expert tried to make repairs to the masonry but said it wouldn't last, and it didn't. This side of the chimney is not visible from the ground. My idea is to cover it to guard against additional damage from the weather. Maybe cut a piece of metal, attach it to the brick, and seal it on the top and sides. Any advice?

 

Interesting....lots of chimneys out there exposed to the weather. Instead of covering it try sealing the brick with a clear masonry sealer. There are different types of bricks and some are more porous than others and will absorb more water. The builders don't always use the best brick for the project. If your bricks are really absorbent they may be taking on too much water and being affected by the freeze/thaw cycle. Assuming you hired a pro he/she did the repair correctly and used the correct products. If you really want to get into it you can test the porosity of your bricks using a rhylum tube.

 

The pro told me that once the brick starts spalling like this, it's only a matter of time before it will need to be replaced. Is that true, or will a sealant stop future damage? I did have the pro apply a waterproofing spray over the rest of the chimney. The bricks are Mexican bricks, and he told me they're very porous.

 

Did the repair person replace bricks or just repoint the mortar? What is your weather like year round....rainy, freezing? Only the north side having this problem? From the picture looks like not all the bricks are bad. What goes on inside the chimney flue? Cost to replace the bad bricks vs the entire north side? How about just replacing the bad bricks and sealing the whole thing with masonry sealer? Why did the repair person just do a 'temporary' patch job....your decision or his?

 

Great questions. The pro just applied mortar over the spalling bricks, and he told me it might not last. He didn't give me an option to replace individual bricks. Only this side of the chimney is in bad shape. It faces north and never gets sun. In the winter, we get freezing rain usually every year here in Dallas. The chimney is a double row of bricks. The interior row is in good shape (for now). He quoted me around $10k to replace the entire chimney. No option to replace just the north side. Maybe I should find a new pro? I like your idea of just replacing the bad bricks and sealing it up.

 

Is the picture being taken from the top of the roof? How big is the chimney? Is what's in the picture the above the roof portion? So the repair was just a stucco-type coat over the bricks? Not sure if we're seeing the whole picture, but I would ask why the $10K guy thinks the whole chimney needs replacing. That may be a reasonable price for an entire chimney replacement, but do you really need the whole thing? Is he saying to do the whole chimney because of the type of brick that was used? If so, porous brick or not, the rest of the chimney has held up. I would get some other estimates to just replace the bad bricks.

 

Cap on the chimney was done wrong that's why there's on going issues.
There's no overhang.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chim..._LQEIIpF9HM%3A