Chimney chase repair and framing work in Randal Park

Chimney height when a chase is rebuilt

Rebuilding a chase brings up the height of the chimney above the roof. As one maker's example, DuraVent's DuraChimney II manual quotes NFPA 211 as saying a chimney extends at least three feet above the highest point where it passes through the roof and at least two feet higher than any part of a building within ten feet.

A rebuild that makes the chase shorter, or a roof change that raises the ridge beside it, can leave the chimney too low. The chimney maker's instructions for your system set the final termination details.

Our crew measures the termination before and after a rebuild and checks it against those instructions. If the chimney needs to be taller, the added listed sections appear on the estimate, so the finished height is part of the plan and not an afterthought.

Charred or darkened wood near the pipe

Wood inside a chase should look like ordinary framing lumber. Framing near the chimney pipe that is dark brown, charred or brittle has been exposed to more heat than it should. Possible reasons include a pipe that has shifted, an air space that has been filled or a shield that is missing.

If you find charred wood near the pipe, stop using the fireplace until the cause is found and fixed. If you ever see smoke or flame coming from the chase walls, or notice fire in the walls, get everyone out of the house and call 911.

Heat-damaged framing is replaced, and the reason behind it is found and corrected before the chase is closed. The pipe position, the clearance and the listed parts are all checked, and the findings go into the written estimate so you can see what caused the damage and what the repair covers.

A fireplace you never use still has a chase

In some houses the fireplace has sat unlit for years. The chase around its chimney still takes the same rain and sun as the rest of the house, and it can rot just as badly when nobody is watching it.

An unused fireplace can hide a chase leak for a long time, because nobody sees the rust or damp ash in the firebox. The first sign may be a ceiling stain or soft siding.

Our technicians inspect the chase whether or not you burn fires. If you plan never to use the fireplace, we can talk through the upkeep the chase still needs and the options the chimney maker allows at the top. For Randal Park homeowners, we treat the chase as a wall that has to stay dry.

The paperwork worth keeping after a repair

Once a chase is repaired, most of the work is hidden behind new siding or stucco. Siding hides framing, stucco hides lath, and the next person to look at your chase will not know what is behind either unless it is written down.

Keep the paperwork with your home records. The written estimate names each layer, and any approved change adds what turned up once the chase was opened. Together they tell the next inspector, a buyer or a future repair crew what went into the wall. For homes in Randal Park, our estimates are written layer by layer partly for this reason.

If you sell the home, those papers give the buyer's inspector answers instead of guesses. These are the details worth keeping together.

• Which faces were opened and how far
• The framing, sheathing, barrier and flashing replaced
• The siding or stucco system and the paint color
• The chimney maker and model, and any listed parts replaced