A job in Santa Fe made me rethink my whole approach to old adobe chimneys

I was cleaning a 200 year old adobe fireplace last month and found the mortar was basically just dust behind the soot. The owner said 'it's been fine for decades,' but one good push with the brush could have brought it down. How do you guys check for structural soundness before you even start a sweep on these really old builds?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

skyler1907mo ago

Holy crap, you just pushed on dust mortar?

8

miles727mo ago

Yeah that dust mortar thing is wild. Reminds me of a buddy who tapped a vintage brick wall with his knuckle and a whole section just sighed and turned to powder.

2

irismartinez7mo ago

It's crazy how something that looks solid can just be held together by old air and habit. My uncle's fireplace did the same thing, just dissolved when he went to clean it for the first time in decades. You realize how much of an old house is just faith and paint.

4