Let's now discuss how to handle chimney leaks yourself. Most chimney leak repairs are beyond the reach of most homeowners. Temporary maintenance can often be done if you get up on the roof, but remember your fall protection. You can contact our emergency roof repair for roof leakage. 

Cap Installation

Measure the chimney top and then buy the correct size chimney cap. Stainless Steel caps are the best. They have a bonnet (roof) twice as wide as the fireplace flue opening. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and ensure that all fasteners are tight.

Repair the Crown/Cap

Chimney crowns are the roof of brickwork. Water can enter brickwork through cracks and missing pieces, leading to large amounts of damage. Repairing the crown is the best way to go. Temporary relief using elastomeric and silicon-based products to seal the chimney crown. 

 

These products are made in the painting industry and can be damaged by excessive sunlight. They will only offer chimney leak relief for a few years. For a proper crown pour, you will need forms (to hold the cement in place until it hardens), rebar and bond breaks (around the flue tile or where the crown rests on the brickwork).

Brick and Mortar Repair

Precise painter's caulk can be used to repair brick damage. It is only a temporary solution. You can expect caulking will fall off quickly because damaged brickwork is often crumbled. Brick and mortar repairs can only be made lasting by removing damaged mortar joints, cracking or spalling bricks, tuckpointing, or installing new bricks.

Damaged Flashing Repair

Storms and rust can cause flashing to become damaged. Sometimes, the sealant that bonds flashing to brickwork can lose its flexibility and allow water to seep through it. As you would with replacing caulking around windows or doors in your home, remove any damaged caulking and apply a flashing sealant.

 

Flashing repair products can be a two-part package that includes a reinforcement fabric and an elastomeric sealant. Although the lifespan of some chimney flashing repair products will be extended by embedding material in the cement, it will only provide a few year's worth of chimney leak relief. Roofers can only make a -quality flashing repair by replacing damaged flashing and roofing.

Poorly installed flashing

Sometimes flashing was not installed correctly or in the correct sequence with roofing. This can lead to chimney leaks right away. Sometimes, a sealant system using fabric can slow down chimney flashing. Poor flashing can be corrected by replacing all flashing and surrounding shingles and tar paper.

Missing crickets

If water seeps into the attic from the top of the chimney, a " Cricket" will likely be installed to ensure no ponding. A chimney's simple flashing is often rusty from ponding water. A chimney must have a cricket if its length is not less than thirty inches.

 

Full-Service Chimney often installs Crickets on all chimneys, as this is where more than half of all chimney leaks originate. Sealant with fabric can be applied to rusty holes for a few more months. 

 

A major chimney repair is the building and installation of a cricket. It should only be done by a quality company that conducts a water leak test after the installation.

Gas Chimney Condensation Issues

Water entry issues are continually checked to ensure the chimney has a gas exhaust vent. Water problems are not always caused by rain. Instead, a large amount of water can fill the chimney if there is a gas exhaust vent through the chimney.

 

The popularity of high-efficiency gas appliances has made water condensation more difficult. Their exhaust is not warm enough to retain the steam produced by gas combustion. Water can condense inside the chimney and cause efflorescence outside brickwork. If left unfixed, it can ruin an otherwise "watertight" chimney.

 

Check out: Traditional roofing vs. Modern Roofing