Your fireplace can serve as the centerpiece of your
home. Being around a warm fire with your family brings comfort that is
unmatched by anything else. Unfortunately, your chimney can begin to leak over
time. It's important to catch these leaks early to prevent any additional
damage that could result in a costly repair. Below are several reasons why your
chimney could be leaking.
First off, it's important to know how to
identify a chimney leak. The most common signs that there is damage to your
chimney are if you hear sounds of water dripping into a pan or notice brown
water stains on the sides of your chimney.
Your
Chimney Doesn't Have A Cover
Without a chase cover, crown, cap, or damper
on the top of your chimney, there is nothing preventing rain or snow from
entering. Not only can moisture get in this way, but birds and other animals
could come into your house through the chimney.
The
Chimney Cover Is Damaged
A very common chimney topper is a chase top.
Chase tops are designed to stop rain and snow from coming into your chimney. There
is a hole in the middle of the chase tops for the spark arrester and chimney
pipe to go in. If the chase top is lower than the rest of the steel panel on
the top of the chimney, water will build up and rust the chase top, leading to
a leak.
There could also be a caulk failure around the
hole of the chimney pipe and a spark arrestor comes through.
These problems can normally be spotted during
an annual roof maintenance inspection.
The
Bricks Become Saturated
If your chimney is made from brick, the bricks
and mortar are porous enough to absorb rainwater. While the chase top should
direct the water evenly into different directions, this rarely happens.
Normally, the water goes off one corner of the chase top so one corner of your
chimney bricks gets saturated over time, leading to leaks within the chimney.
Your
Roof Flashing Is Causing The Problem
Roof flashing is a thin metal material that is
installed to direct water away from certain parts of your roof, such as your
chimney. A leak could be caused by your roof flashing not being installed
properly. When the flashing isn't installed properly, your chimney doesn't have
anything stopping the rainwater from flowing in.
Another cause of a chimney leak from roof
flashing is if the flashing is worn down. This can happen just based on age and
lifespan. In this case, the flashing will just need to be replaced.
If you think you may have a chimney leak, it's
time to call a roofing contractor. Here at ARAC Roof It Forward, we offer a
free video roof inspection so we can diagnose the problem. After the
inspection, we will show you the damage, review your repair options, and
provide a cost estimate. With almost 20 years of experience, our Roof It
Forward team can swiftly and effectively fix your chimney leak. Schedule your
free video inspection today.
