Concrete Chimney Crown Rebuilding

Chimney crowns are among those components of your chimney system that you rarely see because they sit at the top of the chimney basically out of sight. This isn’t good when it comes to damage problems with the crown. What starts as a few small cracks can end up causing major system water damage, mold growth, and rot.

National Chimney Service works throughout Bridgeport CT, Jefferson NJ, Stamford CT, Morristown NJ, and other communities in Fairfield and Morris counties to help our customers with chimney crown repair. Here are a few things to know about this important chimney component.

What Is a Chimney Crown?

Crowns are concrete structures that cover the entire top of a masonry chimney minus the flue openings. Built with a slight bevel, chimney crowns cause rainwater to flow off and away from the top of the chimney and the vertical chimney walls below.

Unless your chimney crown has been rebuilt, think about how old your home is and mostl

Crown Damage

Chimney crowns are subject to damage from various events. These including:

Lightning strikes
Vicious hail storms
Extreme weather temperatures season after season
Poor materials or workmanship in building the crown
Old age

Small Cracks Lead to Big Trouble

Concrete is a very hard substance, but its very hardness makes it susceptible to cracking over time or as a result of events such as those named above. A little crack in a chimney crown may not sound like a cause for alarm, but that little crack is going to grow.

Rainwater and melting snow seep into cracks in the crown. The moisture then freezes and expands, causing more damage, little by little.

This normally isn’t a quick process, but over time, a chimney crown can begin falling apart. And, as noted, because the crown is at the top of the chimney out of sight, the homeowner usually isn’t aware of what’s going on.

Chimney Damage from Compromised Chimney Crowns

When crowns have deteriorated, water can move into the system. That means it will run down into hidden areas of the interior chimney, where further water damage can take place in the masonry. Depending on the level and nature of the damage, adjacent building materials of the home eventually can be affected.

Another serious problem with chimney leaks is mold. Mold thrives in areas that are dark, unventilated, and undisturbed – which perfectly describes your chimney’s interior spaces.

Solving Your Chimney Crown Problems

National Chimney Service provides several ways to address damaged chimney crowns.

Application of a product called CrownSeal will add a powerful membrane over a crown with minor cracks to keep water from penetrating
Patch repairs can be made if isolated areas of damage are found within the crown
Crown rebuilding is the best option when there is decay throughout the crown structure

Start with a thorough Chimney Inspection

We always recommend that our customers schedule chimney inspections once a year to help them stay on top of early signs of damage and malfunction to their chimney/fireplace systems. Our licensed chimney inspectors will assess the condition of your chimney crown (and other components) and advise you on the chimney repairs needed.

In Fairfield County Ct call (203) 614-9765 and in Morris County NJ call (973) 270-9295 to speak with one of our chimney experts today!

Use an Experienced, Established Chimney Sweep Company!

Don’t take chances with uninsured, novice, roofers, unregistered business, no workman’s comp.
Our pros have to know what they’re doing when they put their heads up a chimney and to do that, chimney sweeps obtain specialized training and have years of experience in the field.