Water Damage and Your Chimney

Unfortunately, if your chimney isn’t equipped with a chimney cap or top-sealing damper, of if your chimney brick and mortar has seen better days, there’s a chance that your chimney is leaking and causing water damage to your home. This water damage is nothing to sneeze at—or turn a blind eye to—as a little damage can quickly become a lot of damage and end up causing you to have to pony up big bucks for repairs to your ceilings, walls, floors, and even furniture. Not to mention the cost of fixing the problem so that your chimney won’t leak again.

The truth is that a chimney without a cap or a damper is like a house without a roof; in other words, you’re essentially inviting the great outdoors inside your home. Even if you never use your fireplace or stove, you are going to want to make sure that the tip-top of your chimney is capped to keep rainwater, debris, and critters out of your chimney and out of your home. Furthermore, in spite of brick’s reputation for being extremely durable, it requires maintenance over time to keep it watertight.

There are lots of economical and effective ways to waterproof your chimney. Far less economical? Making repairs to your home after the damage has already been done. The chimney technicians at Above & Beyond Chimney Service are big on prevention and early detection when it comes to leaky chimneys.

Signs That Your Chimney May Be Leaking

It’s not always easy to detect whether a leak is coming from the chimney or the roof, but here are some signs that it’s likely your chimney that’s causing the damage you’re seeing:

A dripping noise

Rusted chimney cap or damper

Discolored or crumbling mortar

 

Stained or mildewed chimney brick

Musty or mildewy smell

Stains on the ceiling around your chimney

The water around your fireplace

We recommend calling a chimney technician and not a roofer to repair your leaky chimney, as C.S.I.A. certified chimney pros will be better to able to detect what’s causing the leak and know just how to repair it. For more on leaky chimneys and waterproofing your chimney, click here.

Solutions for Leaking Chimneys

Chimneys leak for various reasons. Perhaps the leak is coming from the cap, crown, or chimney cover, which may be broken, rusted, or improperly installed. We also often find that the flashing—which is the metal banding that’s designed to create a watertight seal at the point where your chimney meets your roof—is to blame. In other words, each leaking chimney demands a different solution.

However, here are some solutions that Above & Beyond commonly offer to our customers:

• Installation of a new chimney cap, crown, or top-sealing damper
• Chimney cap, crown, or top-sealing damper repair
• New custom flashing
• Flashing repair
• Tuckpointing and chimney repair
• Waterproofing

Waterproofing your chimney will not only protect your home from damage but it will add significantly to the life of your chimney, prevent stubborn odors from establishing themselves in your chimney, and protect your chimney from unsightly and damaging efflorescence, mildew, and fungus. Call us today to learn more about chimney waterproofing.

Will My Insurance Cover Water Damage from My Chimney?

This is, of course, a question best asked of your home insurance provider. However, we often find that our customers’ home insurance company will cover the cost of damages inside the home as a result of a leaky chimney but will not cover the cost of having the chimney repaired. Unless the interior damage is extensive, you may not want to file a claim, however, and risk having your annual insurance bill increase as a result. One more note on insurance and chimneys: Companies may cover leaky chimney damages as the result of a storm or a downed tree but usually not if the chimney is just old and worn out. Yet another reason to invest in leak prevention.

If your chimney is leaking, don’t wait to do something about it. Call us today to stop further damage and save yourself additional costs and headaches. At Above & Beyond Chimney Service, we serve customers throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties. Reach us at 781-383-0415 to schedule an inspection. You can count on our team to be truthful, fair, and reliable.