Chimney repair from the cap to the firebox in Lake Hart

Precast crown or one cast on the chimney

A new crown can be made two ways. A precast cap is formed off the chimney and set in place on a mortar bed. A cast-in-place cap is formed and poured right on top of the chimney.

BIA guidance says a prefabricated cap generally performs better and is more easily made water resistant. A cast-in-place cap should take the same shape, with thickened sides and overhangs, carry reinforcement to help control cracking, and have flashing beneath it, which BIA calls highly recommended. With a precast cap, a bond break between the brickwork and the setting bed lets the cap move without distressing the brick.

The right choice depends on the top's size and shape, how the flues sit and how a cap can be lifted into place. Our technicians explain which type suits your Lake Hart home, and the estimate names the type, its shape and how it will be flashed.

Worn mortar joints let water in

Mortar joints are often where water gets into a brick chimney. BIA maintenance guidance says moisture may penetrate brick masonry through unbonded, cracked or deteriorated joints, and it lists the conditions that call for repointing.

Light scraping with a metal tool and a close look show where mortar has gone soft. The same guidance calls repointing, sometimes known as tuckpointing, one of the most effective ways to reduce moisture penetration, and it advises repointing all the joints in the affected wall area, since it can be hard to tell which joints are letting water through.

Worn joints on homes in Lake Hart are routed to our chimney tuckpointing service. The estimate marks each wall area to be repointed.

• Mortar eroded back from the brick face
• Mortar that crumbles or has voids
• Hairline cracks in the mortar
• Cracks between the brick and the mortar

Checking the chimney after a fallen limb or strong wind

A branch that lands on the roof, or wind strong enough to move patio furniture, can reach the chimney too. The damage is not always obvious from the doorstep, and the roof is no place to go looking. Debris can also drop into an open flue. The yard and an upstairs window show a lot.

Keep people clear of the area below any loose pieces and leave the fireplace unused if the top looks damaged. Our crew checks the chimney from the roof and down the flue, and the written estimate covers the damage that is really there, not a list of guesses. Before the visit, note any of these from the ground.

• A cap or chase top that sits tilted or is gone
• Brick, stone or stucco pieces on the roof or the ground
• Flashing lifted or bent where the chimney meets the roof
• A branch still resting against the chimney

A chimney that vents a furnace or water heater

Some masonry chimneys carry more than a fireplace. A furnace, boiler or water heater may vent into its own flue in the same chimney, through a connector that enters from the side in a utility room, closet or garage.

A masonry chimney's lining has to suit the appliance connected to it, and the Florida Building Code sends flue linings for gas appliances to its fuel gas chapter. It also says the space around a lining system installed inside a masonry chimney may not be used to vent any other appliance. A flue built for a fireplace is not automatically right for a water heater, and the reverse holds too.

The appliance itself belongs to the trade that services it. Our crew in Lake Hart handles the chimney side, meaning the flue, its lining, the inlet at the masonry and the top, and the estimate says plainly which items are ours and which belong to that trade.