Family-owned chimney chase repair in Dover Estates

Rot along the top plate under the cover

The top plate is the horizontal framing at the very top of the chase walls. The metal cover rests on it, and it is the first wood to get wet when the cover leaks or rain blows past the edge. Rot often starts at the corners, where end grain soaks up water.

A soft top plate lets the cover sag, which holds more water and speeds up the rot. It can also pull fasteners loose from the siding just below it.

We check the top plate by hand whenever the cover is off. If it is soft, the plate and the upper ends of the studs are replaced before any cover goes back on. The cover shows up as its own line, so you can tell which job stops the leak and which one repairs the wood it already reached.

Wood siding and trim that stay wet too long

Wood siding and trim on a chase can hold up well when they dry out between rains. Trouble starts when they stay wet, from a gap that holds water, a face the sun never reaches or paint that has failed on the end grain.

Section R317.1 of the state's residential code requires naturally durable or treated wood where siding, sheathing and framing sit close to the ground or exposed slabs. Higher up on a chase, keeping the wood dry is what protects it.

Our technicians probe wood siding at joints, corners and the bottom edge. Soft boards are replaced with primed stock, cut ends are sealed and the finish is restored. Any ledge or detail that keeps holding water gets flagged on your Dover Estates estimate, so it can be changed during the repair.

Siding boards and nails working loose

Nail heads backing out, boards that rattle in wind and siding that has slipped at the corners all point to a problem behind the finish. Nails hold in firm wood. When the sheathing and studs soften, the nails lose their grip and the siding moves. Vinyl nailed too tight can look loose for a different reason, which is why we check how it hangs.

Renailing loose boards into soft wood only holds for a short time. The new nails pull out the same way the old ones did. Longer nails driven through soft sheathing into soft studs fare no better, and they risk reaching toward the air space inside.

What each loose board was fastened into decides the fix. If the wood behind is firm, the siding is refastened with corrosion-resistant nails. If it is soft, the board comes off and the wall behind it is repaired first. A chase in Dover Estates can have both cases on different faces, so the answer comes face by face.

Keeping a repaired chase dry

A repaired chase stays sound when water keeps running off it. Most of what keeps a chase dry happens at ground level and in the gutters, not on the chase itself.

Sealant at siding joints and trim tends to wear out first, so it is worth a look from the yard now and then. A failed sealant joint caught early is a small fix, while the same gap left for years can reach a corner stud.

If you spot something new, call and our crew can take a look before it grows into rot. In between, a few habits do most of the work, and none of them need a ladder.

• Keep gutters and valleys around the chase clear of leaves
• Turn sprinkler heads away from wall chases
• Look over the chase from the yard after big storms
• Watch the ceiling near the fireplace for new stains