Chimney repair for homes in Winter Park

What a rain cap does and what it cannot do

A rain cap sits over the flue outlet and keeps rain and debris from dropping straight down the lining. That spares the damper, the smoke chamber and the firebox from water that would otherwise run down inside.

Three details matter when one is chosen. On a masonry chimney, the Florida Building Code sets the open area under a rain cap at no less than four times the area of the flue outlet it serves. BIA guidance says to get the maker's information on how a manufactured rain cap affects gas flow, and it says a metal cap should be corrosion resistant. A cap that restricts the outlet, or one that rusts, trades one problem for another.

What a rain cap cannot do is protect the crown around it. Rain hitting a cracked crown still soaks into the masonry, cap or no cap. Our chimney cap replacement service fits the cap itself, and when the crown underneath is failing, your Winter Park estimate says so on a separate line.

Tile, metal and shingle roofs need different flashing details

Flashing has the same job on every roof. The Florida Building Code says flashing seals the roofing where it is interrupted and keeps moisture from entering the wall and roof at penetrations such as a chimney. How that job is done depends on what the roof is covered with.

The code has separate sections for asphalt shingles, clay and concrete tile and metal roofing, and each points to its own installation rules and manufacturer's instructions. A shingle roof takes step or L flashing worked into the courses. Tile and metal have profiles of their own, and a detail borrowed from a shingle job may not seal them.

Because the flashing ties into the roofing, some jobs need the roofer who installed or looks after that roof. The roof covering is identified before any flashing is priced, and the estimate spells out which work is ours and where a roofer has to be involved.

Cleaning a brick chimney without damaging it

Cleaning brick can do more harm than the dirt it removes. BIA guidance on cleaning brickwork says to select the gentlest effective method and to try it first on a small, out-of-sight area before cleaning the whole surface.

The method is matched to the brick. BIA recommends following the brick maker's cleaning procedure where there is one and trying a bucket and brush or pressurized water before chemical cleaners. Windows, trim and metal nearby are protected, since many cleaning agents, acids in particular, attack metal.

The trial area also shows what to expect, since some cleaning methods change the look of the brick. The estimate names the cleaning method and the test area, and it lists cleaning as a separate line from any repair.

• Abrasive blasting and high-pressure water can etch joints and strip the brick face
• Steel bristle brushes can leave particles that rust
• Improperly mixed or strong acid can etch brick and dissolve mortar

Soft or swollen siding on a chase

Siding on a chase that feels spongy, bulges at a seam or sheds paint in patches is holding water. The wet area often sits lower than the leak, because water runs down behind the finish until something stops it.

Where siding, sheathing and framing sit close to the ground or to slabs exposed to the weather, the Florida Building Code asks for naturally durable or preservative-treated wood, which matters on a chase built up from grade. Higher up, the protection is the water-resistive barrier and flashing. Once those fail, untreated framing behind them is the part at risk of decay.

Our technicians probe the soft areas to find where sound wood starts, then remove damaged siding, sheathing and framing back to it. The source above is fixed in the same job so the new wood does not meet the same water. For your Winter Park home, the estimate shows how far the damage runs and what each layer costs to replace.