Chimney crown repair serving Southport

What a full crown rebuild includes

A crown rebuild covers the whole top of the chimney. The old crown comes off, the top brick is checked, forms go up, reinforcement goes in, and a new sloped crown is cast with an overhang and drip.

After it cures, the flue joint gets its sealant and any cap is refitted. Our written estimate lists each of those steps, and at the end of the job we walk you through them so you know exactly what you paid for.

A rebuild also includes protecting the flue during the work and checking it afterward, so no debris is left inside. If the cap needs replacing, it is fitted once the crown has cured. Everything is listed, so you can see what the rebuild includes and what it leaves out.

• Old crown removed down to sound masonry
• Forms, reinforcement and a sloped pour
• Bond break and sealant at each flue

Crown condition under a top-sealing damper

A top-sealing damper mounts at the top of the flue and closes with a cable run down to the fireplace. Its frame depends on a sound flue tile and a sound crown around it.

If your chimney has one, or you are thinking about adding one, we check the crown with that in mind. A cracked crown under a top damper leaks like any other, so the crown gets fixed first.

Top-sealing dampers close against a gasket on their frame. If the crown or tile under that frame is uneven, the gasket cannot seal. When we repair the crown, we make sure the surface under the damper frame is sound and true.

Rust stains around the chimney top

Orange or brown stains on the crown or down the chimney face usually come from a rusting cap, rusted anchors or steel inside a cracked crown. Each one has a different fix.

Our technicians trace the rust to its source during the inspection. If the steel inside the crown is rusting and splitting the concrete, the crown needs replacing. If the cap is the source, the fix happens at the cap.

Rust streaks can usually be cleaned once the source is fixed. If the stain comes from steel inside the crown, cleaning it without fixing the crown only removes the evidence. We fix the cause first, then talk about cleaning if you want the brick restored.

Painted chimneys and the crown edge

On painted brick or block chimneys, peeling paint near the top is often the first visible sign of water coming through the crown. The paint lifts because moisture is trying to escape through it.

Repainting over that damage traps more water. We fix the crown first so the masonry can dry, then tell you when the surface is ready for any finish work. That keeps the new paint from peeling the same way.

Once the crown is fixed and the masonry has dried, any new paint or finish goes onto a surface that is no longer being soaked from above. We tell you when the chimney is ready, so the finish work holds.