Chimney chase repair for Southchase homeowners

Where water gets into a framed chase

Rot inside a chase traces back to a water path. Finding every path matters more than the size of the stain, because a repair that closes one route and leaves another open will be wet again after the next hard rain.

Each path gets checked during the free inspection on your Southchase home, and each one gets its own note in the written estimate. That way you can see which line closes the leak and which line repairs the damage the water caused. Wind direction matters too, since the face that takes the weather tends to leak first. These are the routes our technicians trace.

• A failed metal cover that lets rain run down the inside
• Open butt joints and split boards on the walls
• Gaps at corner boards, trim and the seam with the house
• Roof-line flashing that is missing, bent or lapped backwards

Insulation that has no place against the pipe

Homeowners sometimes stuff insulation into a chase to stop drafts or noise, and some chases were insulated when they were built. That insulation can end up packed against the chimney pipe. DuraVent's manual, as one example, says never to fill the clearance space with insulation and to keep building insulation away from the chimney.

Wet insulation can also hold water against the sheathing and framing, which speeds up rot on the inside faces of the chase walls. It can leave the back of the siding damp long after the outside looks dry.

When we open a chase, any insulation inside is checked by hand, including any packed above or below the opened section. Material in the clearance space comes out, and wet insulation is removed. Insulation that belongs in the chase walls stays in the stud bays, outside the clearance, and the estimate says what was removed and what stayed.

Chases on tile roofs

Tile roofs change how a chase base is flashed and repaired. Tiles sit above an underlayment, and water that gets under the tile runs on that underlayment toward the eave. The flashing at the chase base has to work with that whole system, not only with the tile surface. Its job is to carry water from the chase wall onto the underlayment and out over the tile below.

Tiles can also crack underfoot, so reaching a chase on a tile roof takes planning and sometimes a few spare tiles. Broken tiles are listed on the estimate so nobody is surprised by them.

For a chase base on a tile roof, we work with a roofer who handles tile, or we plan the tile removal and reset with you in advance. Who lifts and resets tile, and who flashes the chase, is settled in writing before anyone steps on the roof of your Southchase home.

Same-day chase inspections when available

When a chase starts leaking into the house, waiting a week for someone to look is hard. Same-day inspections are available when the schedule allows, so a technician can check the chase, find the water path and put temporary protection in place.

A same-day visit does not mean a rushed repair. Temporary protection buys time, and the permanent repair is planned and priced in a written estimate like any other job. A leaking chase is usually covered from the top down, with the metal top protected and any open siding sheeted until the crew returns.

Ring early in the day for the best chance at a same-day slot for homes in Southchase. If the schedule is full, we tell you honestly when the first opening is, and our 24/7 emergency line is there for water coming in after hours. A same-day visit still ends with a free written estimate.