Your chimney crown repair team in Audubon Park

The drip groove most crowns are missing

Look closely at the underside of a crown's edge. A proper crown has a groove or drip line there that breaks the path of the water. Without one, rain clings to the underside, creeps back toward the wall and runs down the chimney face instead of dropping clear.

Dark streaks under the crown edge, or darker bricks at the very top of the chimney, often point to a missing drip. Our technicians check for it on every visit. On a new crown it comes standard, and on a sound crown we tell you honestly whether adding one is practical.

On some crowns a drip can be cut into the underside of a sound edge. On others the edge is too thin or too damaged to take one, and the drip only arrives with a new crown. Our crown pros check the edge thickness before promising either option.

Hollow spots under the crown surface

Some crowns look fine but sound hollow when tapped. The top layer has separated from the concrete underneath, usually because water got in and worked between the layers. Those sections can break away without much warning.

Our technicians tap every part of the crown during the inspection, including areas that look perfect. A coating over a hollow surface peels off with the loose layer, so hollow sections change the recommendation to a rebuild. You hear the reason before you approve anything.

Hollow areas often sit near the edges and around the flue, where water enters first. Tapping maps them out, and the pattern shows whether the whole crown is separating or only one area. That pattern is written into your estimate so the recommendation is easy to follow.

Crown specialists who explain their work

Crown repair looks simple from the ground. On the roof it takes judgment, knowing when a crack is cosmetic, when the concrete is failing and when the flue is the real problem.

Our technicians are chimney pros who repair crowns as a regular part of the work, and they explain what they see in plain language. You will understand the recommendation before you approve it.

Good judgment also means knowing when the crown is fine. If the leak is coming from the flashing or the flue, our technicians tell you so, even when that means a smaller job or a different repair.

What our technician checks on a crown

A crown inspection is more than a glance at the top. Our technician looks at the surface, taps for hollow areas, checks the edges and drip, watches how the top drains and examines the joint at each flue.

Everything goes into a written summary in plain language, with a recommendation for each finding. The inspection is free, and so is the estimate.

The inspection also covers the brick at the top of the chimney and the cap. If anything outside the crown needs attention, we tell you, and it shows up as a separate line on the estimate so you can decide.

• Surface cracks and how deep they run
• Hollow or loose sections
• Edges, corners and the drip line
• Sealant and bond break at each flue