MTS Roofing Manchester are an independent family run company based in Urmston, trading within the Manchester Cheshire, Traford & Stockport areas. We provide a professional and comprehensive Roofing & General Building service including estimates through to completion.
- Slating & Tiling
- Flat Felt Roof Repair/Replacement.
- Chimney Stacks, re-point, capping & lead work.
- Lead Valley, repair or replace.
- Lead Bay, repair or replace.
- Ridge Tiles, re-point or replace.
- Guttering, Clear out/maintenance, replace.
- Storm Damage/Insurance Claims.
- UPVC Facia boards & Soffit replace.
- Velux Window, supply & fit.
- Moss removal.
- Emergency repair service.
Urmston:0161 948 9850
PARGING FAILURE
The failure of parging may become apparent in a number of ways: debris in the fireplace, a blocked or partially blocked flue, smoke escaping into other flues or unsightly staining on chimney breasts.
DAMP
Damp causes problems, whether the flue is in use or redundant. The moisture combines with sulphates deposited inside the flue as a result of combustion to form weak acids. These acids attack the lime in the parging and the mortar joints, as well as the brickwork itself. They also form hygroscopic salts (salts which attract moisture).
In a well-ventilated flue, warm air rises constantly, drying out the chimney. Moisture levels increase rapidly in a redundant flue if either the fireplace or the chimney is sealed. It is therefore essential to maintain ventilation to all flues, including redundant ones in particular, top and bottom.
Occasionally damp will penetrate the brickwork to form tarry stains on plaster and wallpaper inside the building. Remedial treatment depends on the severity of the staining. As a first step the flue should be lined and the plaster stripped from the wall to allow the wall to dry out as much as possible. If the staining is moderate the wall can be replastered once it has dried out. If it is comparatively severe new finishes should be isolated with some form of battening.
There are two basic causes of damp in chimneys: ingress of rain, and condensation.
Ingress of rain
There are three likely routes by which rain can enter the structure: simply down the flue and into the building; around defective flashings between the chimney and the roof; or through the wall of the chimney stack itself where the fabric is too thin or too porous to prevent penetrating rain from getting around the flashings.
Rain can usually be prevented from coming down the flue by introducing a fairly discreet capping.
Where flashings are defective, these should be thoroughly inspected and repaired. However, all too often inspection reveals that penetrating rain is getting around an otherwise perfectly sound flashing. Such problems are more difficult to solve, and a degree of intuitive judgement must be used.
Condensation
Moisture which condenses can cause a problem in flues that remain in use. The burning fuel produces water vapour. If the flue is very tall, wide or particularly cold, the flue gases may cool to the point where the moisture vapour condenses within the flue. This happens particularly when wet fuels such as freshly cut timber are used.
Condensation-related damp can usually be reduced by introducing a flue liner, as this both adds some insulation to the flue and reduces its surface area.
Insufficient Draught or Down-draught
Decreasing the size of an overlarge fireplace opening
Replacement pots to increase up-draught
Room vents to increase the air supply to the room
Emergency Call Out:
Mobile: 07968 267 071 or 07973 478 726
Contact Us: mike.taylor783@ntlworld.com
We carry out roofing work in Manchester, roofers in Cheshire, roofing work in Stockport as well as roof repairs throughtout the North West.