Chimney Services
Chase repair details that keep water out
After a free look at the top, walls and roof line, our family-owned team repairs chimney chases in Black Hammock.
What a chimney chase is
A chimney chase is a framed enclosure, usually wood studs and sheathing finished with siding or stucco, that surrounds a factory-built chimney pipe. It hides the pipe, carries it up past the roof line and gives the outside of the house a chimney shape.
The chase is building structure, and the pipe inside it is a listed chimney system. They are repaired differently. When we inspect a chase, we look at both and explain which findings belong to the enclosure and which belong to the chimney itself.
Siding repairs on the chase
Fiber cement, vinyl and wood siding each need their own installation details at corners, trim and the roof line. Siding set tight against the roofing, open joints at trim and unsealed cut edges all let water behind the finish. Swelling along the bottom edge of each lap and rust streaks from fasteners are the usual clues.
We replace damaged siding to its maker's instructions, repair the sheathing and barrier behind it and match the profile and color as closely as available material allows. Where an exact match is not possible, we tell you before ordering.
Checking the chimney pipe while the chase is open
An open chase is a good chance to look at the chimney pipe itself. Rust, dents, separated joints and damaged support parts can all show up once the siding is off.
Damaged sections are replaced only with parts listed for that chimney. The DuraTech manual, for example, requires authorized parts only, forbids mixing parts from other products and says damaged or modified parts must not be installed. We tell you what we find and price it on its own line.
Access for cleaning and inspection
Some chase chimneys, particularly those that run up an outside wall from a tee, have an access door near the base for cleaning. The DuraTech manual shows an access door for cleaning in its exterior chase installations.
When we rebuild or reclad a chase, we keep any access door working and sealed against the weather. Covering it over makes future cleaning and inspection harder, so it stays reachable. If the door has rusted or lost its seal, we replace or reseal it as part of the chase work and list it on the estimate.
