If you are like most home owners, you’ve probably never paid much attention to your chimney crown. The chimney crown serves an important role in protecting the chimney against harsh weather, but most people don’t realize that the crown also needs to be protected. When left unprotected, a chimney crown will eventually crack and deteriorate.
We’re often called in to do chimney crown repairs – that’s because the nature of the chimney crown’s placement and purpose means it’s under a lot of strain and stress day after day.
Masons or chimney technicians build a crown at the very top of the chimney to protect the system from water intrusion by diverting rain, sleet and other forms of precipitation away from the chimney masonry. As that crown is rained on, snowed on and baked in the summer sun, cracks can develop — and if those cracks get wide and deep enough, troubling chimney leaks will follow.
Given where your chimney crown is located, there’s a good chance you won’t see crown damage yourself until you have a leak on your hands. But if you’re keeping up with annual chimney inspections, Tristan’s Chimney Service technicians can identify crown damage before it leads to leaks and the need for expensive repairs.
What is Freeze-Thaw Damage?
When you light a fire in your fireplace or wood stove in the winter, the chimney heats up and cools down. As temperatures drop below freezing, any water that is absorbed into your chimney crown from rainfall will freeze and thaw, creating a process of expansion and contraction. This process eventually causes your crown to crack and deteriorate, which is why it is important to prevent water from absorbing into the chimney crown in the first place.
Depending on the severity of damage, the crown will either need to be repaired or totally replaced. Replacement costs often run in the thousands of dollars and should be performed by a qualified chimney sweep (visit NCCSA for a qualified chimney sweep in your area). If the cracks aren’t too severe to warrant total replacement, the best way to to perform a chimney crown repair is with an elastomeric product that will remain flexible over time.
We Can Provide Durable, Functional & Aesthetically-Pleasing Crown Repairs
We Can Repair Minimal Crown Damage With CrownCoat. If we’re able to catch crown damage before it becomes excessive (while there are just small cracks in the face of the crown, for example), we can likely repair it with a product called CrownCoat, which creates a flexible, waterproof elastomeric membrane over the surface. The product works to seal off small cracks, allowing the crown to protect the chimney once again. It’s a great product that our clients have been very happy with, and it’s guaranteed to hold up for years of use, too — when applied by professional technicians like those at Northeastern Masonry & Chimney, it carries a 10-year warranty.
Not sure if CrownCoat is right for you? We’ll assess your damage during an inspection, and recommend the best repair method.
More Damaged Crowns Can Require Rebuilding
If your crown was poorly designed or constructed, or damage is considerable (with crumbling and spalling masonry or major cracks), Tristan’s Chimney Service technicians will likely need to build a new crown.
Simple crown washes that don’t have a proper slope to divert water away often fail and don’t function particularly well to begin with. When we design and install a new chimney crown, we follow the best practices for a highly-functional and long-lasting crown. For the best performance possible, we’ll construct a crown that, on its surface, slopes away from the chimney to encourage water diversion, and at its edges, extends at least 2 and 1/2 inches to keep water from dumping directly onto the chimney masonry. We’ll also reinforce the crown with steel to keep its shape true and durable. This design keeps the most water away from your bricks and joints and lasts the longest as well.
Do you have chimney crown damage? Need your Chimney Waterproofed? Or are you overdue for your annual chimney inspection? Give Tristan’s Chimney Service a call at 828-387-6153, or click here to request an appointment!
Further reading about Waterproofing can be found here!
