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Chimney Flashing Repair- How to Fix Chimney Flashing Leaks

July 22, 2010 By chimneyadmin Leave a Comment

Here at my chimney repair and sweeping company, we treat every water problem as a process of elimination. Even the most trained chimney veterans may have difficulty pinpointing exactly where damaging water is entering your home. A chimney or roofing professional will often perform a water test

This flashing was installed improperly, with no counterflashing, and will surely leak.

This flashing was installed improperly, with no counterflashing, and will surely leak.

which you can actually perform yourself. Starting at the base of your chimney soak a few feet. Wait fifteen minutes to see if any water enters your home and then soak a portion of the chimney a little bit higher then a little bit higher until you can either pinpoint where water is entering on the chimney or rule out the water entering through the brick of the chimney.

Another very common point of entry for water is the chimney flashing. Chimney flashing seals the void between the roof and the chimney, but often times leaks. Over time, water erodes away the watertight finish that sealed the flashing or the flashing literally rusts away from the roof. Other problems can occur with the flashing that may cause leaks, and fixing it isn’t impossible. You can absolutely save some money by performing the repair by yourself, you just need to be sure that you use quality products.

ChimneySaver FlashSeal Flashing Repair is a great product to use. It is durable and, when used with the

This flashing was repaired with FlashSeal and is now watertight. No water can enter the home.

This flashing was repaired with FlashSeal and is now watertight. No water can enter the home.

FlashSeal Reinforcement Fabric it comes with a seven year warranty. To repair your flashing with FlashSeal, you first need to clean the area of any dirt and debris to allow the product to work as efficiently as possible. After the clean area dries, apply a thin base coat of FlashSeal that covers the entire flashing area and extends a few inches above the flashing line. After this dries apply a layer of FlashSeal Reinforcement Fabric over the entire area and finish with a top coat of the FlashSeal product.

You will need at least twelve hours of dry weather in order for this product to heal properly. I also recommend applying a layer of water repellent over your repair and over the entire chimney to further safeguard your repair and protect your home from future water damage.

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The Top 3 Ways to Solve Chimney Leaks

July 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Chimney leaks frequently come from three common areas on fireplace chimneys. Chimney crown leaks, chimney flashing leaks, and brick chimney leaks. Different factors affect a chimney’s ability to resist water penetration such as the age of the chimney, the type of construction materials used and the way it was constructed. In this article I’m going to reveal some specific problem areas and how you can solve your own chimney leaks.

Chimney Crown Leaks

chimney crown repair

Using Brushable CrownCoat for chimney crown repair

First off, the chimney cap or masonry chimney crown. Over time, chimney crowns can crack or break off, allowing water to soak in and come inside the chase. This water can run down the chimney and absorb into the inside of your house. Additionally, crowns are supposed to be made of concrete, but are frequently made from mortar instead to save time and money.

The problem is that mortar is not as dense or as strong as concrete and is more likely to absorb water. If the crown is in too bad of shape, you may need to replace the crown. That can usually run anywhere between  $500-$2,000.

If there are some severe cracks, but no missing pieces off the crown, my chimney sweep crews usually use a product called CrownSeal. It’s a flexible elastomeric product that you can trowel on over the surface of the crown. It fills in the gaps and seals the crown, preventing chimney water leaks. CrownCoat works even better for crowns with smaller cracks and in slightly better condition. It’s easier to apply and it dries faster.

Chimney Flashing Leaks

chimney flashing leaks

Using FlashSeal to repair chimney flashing leaks

Chimney flashings are another potential source of water leaks. Where the chimney meets the roof line is a particular weak spot for water penetration because as rain water runs down the roof, it gathers and runs off right onto that joint.

Over time, as the chimney flashing deteriorates, water can gradually begin to seep into that joint and into your house, ruining drywall, causing wood rot and mold growth.

There’s a product called FlashSeal that you can apply on top of the chimney flashing to seal up this joint. There’s a mesh fabric that can also be applied underneath that makes it even stronger.

Brick Chimney Leaks

brick chimney leaks

Use ChimneySaver water repellent to fix brick chimney leaks

The last problem area is the bricks and mortar joints. There are many different types of brick out there. The softer and more porous the brick, the more likely it’s going to leak. Mortar joints are another problem area. Many times, the mortar mix is made with too much sand, causing it to soak up water like a sponge.

Also, many times the mortar joints are struck (packed in with a special tool) too shallow, causing water to be able to quickly absorb and pass through the thin layer of mortar. To prevent water penetration in brick and mortar joints, try a waterproofing product called ChimneySaver. It’s a breathable water repellent that you spray on your chimney with a pump-up sprayer. It actually forms a chemical bond with your masonry about 1/4″ below the surface, making the masonry repel water for 5-10 years.

If you have cracks in your mortar joints that are wide enough to stick a credit card in, you can use a product called CrackMagik. It’s designed to fill in the cracks that are too large for the water repellent to fill. Most water repellents can fill hairline cracks. Any bigger cracks need to be filled either with a mortar crack chimney repair product such as CrackMagik, or for more severe cracks you will need to tuckpoint the mortar cracks with new mortar.

By protecting the chimney crown, flashing and brick and mortar, you’ll save yourself the expense of chimney water damage and eventual chimney replacement. Water damage causes over $1 Billion in damages every year. In most cases this damage can be avoided by a little preventative maintenance once every 5-10 years.

Filed Under: Chimney Crown Repair, Chimney Flashing Repair, Masonry Chimney Waterproofing, Mortar Repair Tagged With: , , ,

Chimney Flashing Repair Guide

July 7, 2010 By chimneyadmin Leave a Comment
This is an example of good step flashing. It is flush with the brick and snug against the roof.

Roof flashing takes maintenance occasionally, but it works hard to protect your roof from the elements.

Often times when water is leaking into a home there is confusion, even among professionals, as to where it is entering. Here at my company, we always treat water problems as a process of elimination starting with the least expensive repair first (generally waterproofing the chimney or tuckpointing open mortar joints). If we pinpoint the leak to the flashing on the chimney, then chimney flashing repair becomes necessary.

What is flashing? Water flows down the roof alongside the chimney at the flashing, making it a high traffic area for water. Leaks in the flashing are common because of this fact. They join together intersections between two planes, such as where the roof meets a chimney or skylight. Flashing is formed from sheet metal or plastic, and over time work itself loose from the roof, rust, or deteriorate. Even galvanized metal flashing has the possibility of deteriorating, and the older your home gets, the more likely you are to have problems with the flashing on your roof. A chimney flashing leak is not difficult to repair and quite common.

When you go about with your flashing repair you need to decide how severe the damage is. If it is very minor, repairing it will be the route you want to take. Replacing your flashing all together is going to be the route that makes the repair last the longest however. There are many different kinds of flashing. Flashing around the places where pipes penetrate the roofline is called vent pipe flashing. Step flashing is used around dormer windows. This is the type of flashing used around the chimney and is named due to its appearance- it looks like stair steps.

Roof flashing is important because it prevents leaks. It works with gravity and the structure of it directs the water off of the roof so it doesn’t pool and cause leaks or the roof to sink in. Remember that the purpose of roof flashing is to keep water away from the wood underneath to prevent rotting.

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