Efflorescence Chimney Attic

Older furnaces required more chimney area due to their high rate of heat loss through the chimney and lower efficiency.

Efflorescence chimney attic.

Efflorescence occurs when moisture moves through concrete or other masonry. The minerals themselves do no harm. The efflorescence is evidence that your chimney is regularly wet. This allows rain water to seep into the brick or stone walls.

Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of salts that can form when water is present in or on brick concrete stone stucco or other building surfaces. The moisture picks up minerals carries them to the surface of the masonry and leaves them behind in the form of tiny crystals on the surface as the moisture evaporates. With today s high efficiency furnaces most of the heat goes into your home not the chimney producing a much cooler exhaust and leaving the chimney filled with cold air. If efflorescence is visible on your chimney it s safe to assume that there is more going on than staining.

The moisture which creates deposits on the chimney also adds moisture in the attic. The efflorescence is formed when the chimney structure cracks has not been properly sealed or is missing a cap or other sealant. There are two possible sources of the moisture. You can simply brush them away.

As water moves through the wall it dissolves salt particles naturally present in the masonry along the way. A chimney sweep has chemical mixes designed specially for taking care of this problem. It has a white or greyish tint and consists of salt deposits left behind when water evaporates. Most of the time the rain will wash it away but sometimes it is necessary to remove tougher stains.

When the moisture evaporates minerals that had been dissolved in the water are left behind as a visible sign of the evaporation.