Moisture causes a lot of chimney issues including cracked bricks, crumbling mortar, masonry stains, and unpleasant smells, just to name a few. Fortunately, when your chimney was first constructed, there were mechanisms put in place to help prevent water from intruding into your chimney’s more vulnerable areas. One of these mechanisms is your chimney crown. Your chimney crown is one of the first lines of defense from moisture. Therefore, it is crucial that you keep your chimney crown well maintained and in good shape. At Leonard and Sons, we can’t stress how vital your chimney crown is to the health of the rest of your chimney system. Your chimney’s health is important to us and that’s why we offer chimney crown repair and replacement services.
What is a chimney crown and how does it function?
Your chimney crown is located at the top of your chimney, covering the opening at the top. The chimney crown is made out of concrete and should form a gentle slope, away from the chimney flue opening.This directs most water from rain, snow and sleet away from your flue. Your chimney crown also prevents water from penetrating the top-most layers of your chimney brickwork. It should be noted that your chimney crown doesn’t prevent water or snow from falling directly into your flue, so a chimney cap should also be added to the top to shelter the flue’s opening.
Why is so important that my chimney crown functions well?
Although it may seem like your chimney bricks are strong, if moisture is allowed to rest and seep into it, it can leach into tiny pores and slowly dissolve your masonry from the inside out. If that moisture freezes, it can quickly expand, causing masonry to crack and crumble. Your chimney crown was designed to protect the areas where your masonry is most exposed to the elements. Without it, rain, sleet and snow would settle on top of your chimney, diminishing the longevity of your masonry. This is why it is so important to have a functional chimney crown. Even if your chimney crown is just cracked a little, water can still seep into cracks, exposing your masonry to moisture.
Our masons at Leonard and Sons have had decades of experience working with chimney crowns. On top of that, they have been certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), meaning they are keeping current with the latest chimney crown repair techniques and are constantly gaining knowledge on chimney safety techniques as well. If you think that you have a chimney crown that may be damaged, our masons can inspect it and repair it if needed. Occasionally we will come across a chimney crown that needs to be totally replaced. When this happens, our the masons at Leonard and Sons can do a complete rebuild of your chimney crown and have it working like new again.
Don’t risk having your chimney masonry exposed to moisture any longer. Call Leonard and Sons today at 847-658-7659 or set up an appointment online today to speak to one of our expert masons about the health of your chimney crown.
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