Lighting the First Fire of the Season? Check Your Chimney Flashing First
Photo by Stéphane Juban on Unsplash
There’s a particular pleasure in lighting the first fire of the year. It’s also the moment many homeowners remember they have a chimney. Before you stock the hearth, it’s worth a quick look at the part of the chimney that sits on your roof, because that’s where many roof leaks start.
Why chimneys leak
A chimney is a masonry column pushing through a roof that expands, contracts, and flexes with the weather. The seal between the two is made of metal flashing, and over the years, sealant dries, mortar joints crack, and metal rusts. Each South Jersey summer and winter works on those joints a little more. By the time water shows up on a ceiling, the gap has usually been there for a while.
What to look for from the ground
-
Rust or lifted metal along the base of the chimney where flashing meets the masonry. -
Cracked or missing mortar in the brick, especially at the top of the chimney. -
A cracked chimney crown, the concrete cap that sheds water off the top. -
White, chalky staining on the brick, which suggests water moving through the masonry. -
Ceiling stains or peeling paint on the walls near the fireplace, inside the house.
What repair usually involves
Small problems, like a lifted section of flashing or a failed sealant line, are often a short repair. Larger ones, such as rusted-through flashing or a chimney that’s been leaking for years, may mean replacing the flashing and checking the deck underneath. Either way, catching it before a winter of freeze-thaw cycles is cheaper than catching it after.
We examine the flashing, the roof around the chimney, and any visible damage, and tell you what we find in writing.
For cracked bricks, crowns, or flue problems, we’ll tell you when a mason or chimney sweep is the right call.
A quick look now keeps the first fire of the season about the fire, and not about a bucket under the ceiling.
Free inspection · Written summary · 24-hour response · (609) 268-9200