Tuckpointing: What Is It & Do I Need It?

Is there a chimney in your home? If so, have you wondered what are chimney tuckpointing or repointing services? Many chimney owners do not know how and why tuckpointing is essential for the functionality of their chimney and fireplace, so you’re not alone if you don’t. The team at Mercer is here to help you understand the importance of this service and how to tell if your chimney needs one.

Tuckpointing – What is it?

If you want your chimney to be reliable throughout the years, you should be familiar with tuckpointing. It is necessary because the joints start to deteriorate over time, although the bricks will still be functional. These joints are what hold your bricks and chimney together.

Tuckpointing, also known as repointing, is a service where a certified chimney sweep company like Mercer performs a cut out of the mortar joint between the masonry. After the cut out, the joints are cleaned and refilled with fresh mortar. You should have this done to your chimney every 20 to 30 years. Whether you’ve recently purchased a home, or have lived in your home for decades and have never had this done, we recommend getting an inspection soon. This is the only way to determine if a repoint is needed or get a timeline for when you will need a tuckpoint service.

Signs You Need Tuckpointing

Your chimney will give you some pretty obvious signs when it is time for repointing. Educating yourself now on what to expect can save you both time and money later. Here are some of the most common symptoms of chimney deterioration that means you need tuckpointing:

• Color changes: Your mortar will change color as it deteriorates. Mortar in good condition is a bright beige color, and anything other than that can mean deterioration.
• Flaking or peeling: deteriorating mortar will begin to flake or peel and is very easy to notice. Whenever mortar starts to separate from the bricks, it means that it is no longer able to support them. If mortar is too weak to hold itself together, it definitely cannot hold your bricks properly and is a safety and efficiency issue.
• Rust: your fireplace can be subjected to increased moisture when the mortar needs to be tuckpointed. Crumbling mortar is more likely to pass through moisture. If you’re seeing these issues, it is time to call your chimney sweep.
• Cracks in the chimney: your chimney’s bricks are more likely to deteriorate without well-functioning mortar. Although cracks can be caused by a number of reasons, faulty mortar can be one of those.

Also, if you see odd or new symptoms near or with your bricks, a tuckpointing service can be exactly what you need.

Need an inspection?

To keep your chimney and fireplace in good shape, you must get a tuckpointing service at some point and schedule a regular chimney inspection. At Mercer, we take your maintenance and repair schedule seriously. Give us a call today at
609-802-5288 to determine if tuckpointing is appropriate for your needs.