Roof Protection during Chimney Repair in Michigan
Demolition of a chimney by its nature can be a very messy process. The removal of spalled brick, chipped brick, and loose, cracked concrete on the chimney crown inevitably will lead to dust and debris falling on your roof or shingles during masonry repair. When laying brick, the bricklayer spreads the mortar onto the brick and excess mortar can fall onto your roof shingles. Once the mortar hardens it can remove the granules from your roof shingles, leading to wear and tear on your roof. That is why when chimney repair, masonry restoration, chimney crown replacement, or chimney crown repair is performed on your chimney it is imperative to protect your roof in the chimney construction area.
You can use various items to protect your roof during chimney crown demolition and chimney crown repair. Items I have used to protect the roof on chimney repair and chimney restoration projects include drop cloths, carpet remnants, rubber mats, cardboard, and poly tarps. The more extensive the chimney demolition and chimney construction project, the more layers of drop cloth and/or carpet are required. I find using carpet remnants to be the best method. The carpet does not have the tendency to slide on roof shingles on small projects, only one layer is necessary. Poly tarps are only good for small chimney repair projects. They are lightweight, which makes them more susceptible to breezes that you encounter when doing chimney repair. They provide protection from falling mortar, but will do little against falling debris that is encountered during chimney crown removal, large chimney crown repair, and chimney brick replacement.
Once your chimney repair has been completed and the protective covering surrounding the chimney has been removed any loose particles and dust should be brushed from the shingles with a soft brush and whenever possible, the roof should be washed down. Warning: use of chemicals such as muriatic acid and some concrete removers/detergents can also damage your shingles. Once you have rinsed the roof off, be sure to clean out your gutters. Nobody wants a gutter full of concrete after getting their chimney repair completed. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.