Did You Feel the Earth Move?
Hints & tips if you did.
Helping to rebuild Folkestone after the Earthquake.
Another perfect chimney repair!
For those affected by the earthquake, it’s usually the chimney that suffered
most and the prospect of falling bricks and masonry makes a good quality repair
a top priority.
For Jamie Haslam of Cross Builders in Folkestone, one of the most important
factors is mixing the correct type of cement. Many buildings affected by
structural damage are over 100 years old and at the time of construction, lime
was used as part of the cement mortar making process. Many builders today prefer
not to use lime when mixing cement mortar because it is an added cost, and can
sometimes act as an irritant to untrained bricklayers and it also takes longer
to mix. The inexperienced bricklayer may also find traditional lime mortars
awkward to use when laying bricks owing to the way the mortar can be quite
sticky to use.
The benefits, however, of using lime in older properties are clear: the new
repair will adhere to the existing earthquake damaged chimney brickwork whereas
ordinary sand and cement mortars are incompatible and will often simply not
stick and in time, fall out.
Lime mortar is also more pliable and allows for the natural movements that can
occur in older buildings especially the normal expansion and contraction owing
to the heat from the sun.
Jamie’s second tip is to instruct the services of a CORGI registered heating
engineer to inspect the boiler if the appliance has a conventional chimney flue:
The earthquake caused masonry and debris to fall inside the chimney flue and may
fall directly on top of the boiler with the possibility of causing unseen
damage.
With central heating, very few household use the fireplace and many chimneys may
be blocked off to prevent birds from nesting inside the flues but it is
important to ensure that the top of the chimney is ventilated to allow the
chimney to dry naturally.
In the rush to complete several orders for scaffolding, some scaffold companies
were working long hours so it is important to check that the roof tiles which
frequently have to bear the weight of the scaffolding are in watertight
condition when all scaffolding is removed and cleared away.
Many scaffold contractors like RMW scaffolding have years of specialist
experience and take extra care when accessing customer’s roofs.
For more information on chimney repairs contact:
Jamie on 01303211805 or 07966496911
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter September 2007
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