Just what is your chimney cap or crown? This chimney cap or crown is completely useless , in that it was not built right to start with.  Its just some mortar smeared across the top of the brick, and has  completely ruined the brick below. Is your chimney crown doing this?  Quite a few people get their chimney cap or crown, mixed up with their rainguard or spark arrester that sits on the very top of the  chimney, this chimneys spark arrester & rainguard are missing.  Your chimney cap or crown sets just below your metal rainguard on top of the last course of brick, at the top of your chimney.   If you go outside and look up at your chimney, you should see a concrete or mortar cap that seals the top of the chimney from water damage.  The cap or concrete crown should be at least 3 to 4 inches thick, and should slope slightly outward from the flue liner to the crowns edge. Here is a fact that that is truly amazing, this cap or crown that should be on top of every, and I mean every chimney is missing or busted on over 80% of all the chimney in the greater Seattle area.  This includes the newer area of the east side such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinvilleand other such areas.  What this means is that most of the homes in the Greater Seattle area have missing or damage chimney crowns, that are letting water penetrate the brick or stone masonry that makes up their chimney.   When this happens the first thing you will see is a darkened area at the top of the chimney, with moss growing out through the mortar joints.  When you look up and see this, The Chimney Cap Needs Repair.  Your whole chimney is protected by the chimney cap or crown.  

 

 

The chimney cap or crown is the last area of defence against water damaging your home and fireplace.  One of the first thing that people notice when they realise that they have water damage penetrating their home, will be a wet area in the ceiling or wall along side the fireplace or chimney.  Many times if this water penetration is stop by repairing the chimney cap, the area will dry up with little or no perminet damage, but if the damage is not repaired the brick or stone will start to crack, and you will notice missing mortar joints, water damage to the roofing system, wet sheet rock, and  rusted out dampers.  All of these problems can start with just some small cracks in the top of your chimney cap or crown.  It is critical to maintain your concrete chimney cap just like its critical to maintain the roof that protects the rest of your home.  As a Seattle Masonry Contractor we receive several hundred calls every year in regard to leaking chimney flashing,  or chimney repair.  Over 95% of the time our inspections reveal that the chimney cap or crown is either cracked, broken, or completely missing.  As I mention above this is quite common in the Seattle area and other places as well.  The reason that it can go unnoticed for so many home owners for so many years is that the chimney cap or crown is hard to see from the ground, and most people don’t know what a chimney crown even is.  At some point your chimney will let you know that its in trouble, by either starting to chip and fall apart or leaking badly.  When this happens it can cost hundreds of dollars to repair your home and chimney from the damage that has been done.  In some cases the entire chimney has to be torn down and replaced, costing thousands of dollars.  The number one time that this problem will show up is when you are selling your home.  Because so many homes have this problem, this is one of the first things that a home inspector will point out in his report.  This is true also if you are buying a home, make sure that the masonry chimney is in good repair and is not water damage from not having a proper chimney cap or crown. 

 

 

Here is what you should do if you feel that your chimney crown needs attention.  Have a Masonry Contractor give you a free inspection of your entire fireplace and chimney,  ask for a written report on the condition of the chimney crown and other components of your chimney, then have them give you a free estimate for the work that needs to be done.  As with any maintenance issue the sooner they are fixed, the less they will cost to repair.  Tim Wheeler Masonry Construction has been serving the Seattle and east side area, for over 25 years with the very best in chimney repair and restoration.  Please give us a call if we can help you our customer with any chimney project, from building a completely new chimney to remodeling an old one.  We are your chimney and fireplace expert in the Seattle area.  www.timwmasonry.com