Troubleshooting - Masonry Issues

Exterior Chimney Stains:

The best chemical for cleaning rust, mildew, algae, smoke and creosote stains on an exterior chimney is the ChimneySaver® Brick & Mortar Cleaner. This concentrated cleaner works well for masonry surfaces excluding limestone. Apply full strength to extra tough stains. General cleaning requires a dilution ratio of 1 to 4 parts water. Apply with a brush, roller, or for large areas, use a sprayer. It covers 50-150 square foot per gallon depending on dilution.

Interior Stains:

Interior stains on brick, glass and stone can often be remedied with one of the following cleaners. Speedy White is great for creosote, smoke, soot and grease stains when used on glass, stone and brick. The Soot Eraser works well on soot, smoke residue and dirt from various surfaces. For the baked on carbon and mineral deposits associated with gas fireplaces, White Off Gas Fireplace Cleaner does a great job with minimal effort.

Set-Up Problems:

When applying pre-mixed refractory cement or fireplace mortar such as Heat Stop, Rutland® Fireplace Mortar or Domestic Fireplace Mortar, it’s important to not use a maximum application thickness greater than ¼". This type of product is an air-dry and heat-cure mortar. If it’s applied greater than ¼" it won’t dry out and will either crack or when heat is applied the moisture will turn to steam, causing a blistering affect.

When using Heat Stop II, Rutland® Refractory Dry Mix 211, Chamber-Tech 2000® or Insul Stick, it’s really important to mix water thoroughly or the mix won’t get to full strength. Also, minimum thicknesses must be observed or the material won’t be strong enough to resist cracking and light pressure.