Why Is My Chimney Leaning and How Do I Fix It?

It’s not a good sign when you look up at the chimney and notice it leaning away from your house. It’s no optical illusion, and it is a dangerous situation. Depending on its size, a brick chimney can weigh over 8,500 pounds. It is secured to the foundation and attached to the roofline. But when structural issues develop with your home or chimney, the force of gravity can cause it to collapse under its weight resulting in severe property damage and potential injuries.

Inspect the foundation

A leaning chimney is often an indication of a severe structural problem. And the best place to start is with the foundation. There are several issues that can affect the foundation. For example, heavy rains, flooding, water leaks, and even pests can cause the soil under and around your foundation to soften and erode. As the foundation continues to sink into the ground, it can cause the chimney to lean. Depending on the extent of the damage, the foundation may be able to be repaired without having to rebuild the entire chimney.

Missing bricks and mortar

Although bricks are durable, they are porous material and are very susceptible to water damage. Brick chimneys have a hard outer shell. But pounding rain, sleet, and snow can cause tiny cracks in the surface. Water accumulates inside these cracks, freezes, and expands the breaks even further. This cycle can repeat for years resulting in entire pieces of brick and mortar to erode and disappear from the chimney. It can also ruin the interior components, including the damper, smoke shelf, and firebox. In severe cases, deteriorating bricks and mortar can cause the structure to lean or even collapse.

Damaged flashing

Flashing is a metal material used to secure the chimney to the roofline. It also prevents moisture from penetrating the seams along the roof and chimney. When the chimney flashing is damaged, you may notice water stains on the walls and ceiling around the fireplace or heating stove. If not repaired timely, the continued water intrusion can accelerate the deterioration of the masonry and cause it to lean.

Repairing a leaning chimney

Leaning chimneys are a severe issue. It would be best to repair it sooner than later. Also, you should avoid using your fireplace or wood stove with a leaning chimney. The increased risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning can be disastrous. It’s vital to consult with a qualified chimney professional as soon as possible. They may be able to save your chimney from a complete collapse.

Our qualified Chimney Professional’s are here to help!

Black Moose Chimney & Stove Inc.

128 Concord Street, Antrim, NH, 03440

Phone: 603-525-7905

John Ranta

17:01 22 Mar 24

They arrived on time, worked quickly and showed me the results. Prfessional throughout. jr

william green

23:21 14 Mar 24

Really helped me out can't say enough good things highly recommend!!!! The young man that came to my home was very knowledgeable and friendly great attitude all around answered all my questions and left me stress free best of all left no mess.🤙🏻🤙🏻

Michael Dell'Orto

18:39 14 Mar 24

Jaime Conley

17:13 14 Mar 24

Sarah Gilliatt

01:46 13 Mar 24

A very thorough and careful job done! Thank you.

Larry Cook

15:11 07 Mar 24

I wanted to give 5 stars but they are very busy which meant I had a good wait for both the inspection/cleaning, then for a quote on repairs and then for the repairs. Their prices seemed a little high to me but I have nothing to compare with as they were highly recommended by someone I trust and other companies had plenty of negatives reviews which kept me from getting additional quotes. I am happy with the work and they promptly returned to fix a mistake that had been made. Chris the inspector, Jennifer in the office, and Alex and his repair crew were all pleasant and took the time to answer all of my questions. Alex and his crew even took their shoes off (it was winter) before entering my house without even being asked! So if you are not in a rush and want to ensure you chimney is as safe as possible then I think you'll be happy with Black Moose.

Rebecca DeFusco

22:35 21 Feb 24

After a recent sweep of our chimney, it was discovered that our flue tiles were cracked. Black Moose techs were hard working, detail oriented and professional! Nice jobs guys! See you next year for my cleaning!

Karen C

14:52 14 Feb 24

Excellent I highly recommend Black Moose Chimney and Stove; Kelly and Liam are awesome, they did a great job. Extremely professional, arrived early, went through everything with a fine tooth comb ensuring pellet stove was thoroughly cleaned. They also were respectful of my home, conscientious and cleaned up after themselves. Made sure stove worked prior to leaving and told me to call promptly if anything came up afterward. Will definitely use them again.

Denise Clark

16:32 31 Jan 24

We've had Black Moose clean our chimney for a number of years.But recently, we had an emergency situation at our home involving our chimney & oil furnace flue, which was caked full of soot from a malfunctioning furnace. They came & cleaned out both flues in no time, even going up on the roof with snow on it! They cleaned up after their work in the interior rooms where the oil furnace and the woodstove are located. Great work. Reasonable prices. Very nice people. You can't go wrong with Black Moose.

Joe G

18:30 24 Jan 24

Goods: The technicians know their business, very efficient in cleaning/inspection along with cleaning up after the 'dirty work'.Others: Communications could be more effective. Despite early coordination about scope of work (multiple flues within same chimney) the estimate provided did not reflect this and the final invoice was significantly more than the estimate provided.Quote for follow-on chimney relining was significantly more than that offered by other companies in the area (and far more than neighbors experienced for similar work accomplished by other companies)