Chimney Services

Getting the crown right on your Elder Springs chimney

Call for a free crown inspection, then take 10% off by booking within 72 hours.

The crown and the cap are separate parts

Homeowners often use crown and cap for the same thing. The crown is masonry and covers the whole top of the chimney. The cap is a metal fitting over a single flue or a group of flues, and it keeps rain and animals out of the openings the crown leaves.

A new cap does not seal a cracked crown, and a new crown does not stop rain falling straight down an open flue. We check both from the roof and price them separately, which shows you what each fix costs.

Reinforcement against shrinkage cracks

Concrete shrinks as it cures, and a crown on a chimney also moves with daily heating and cooling. The Brick Industry Association treats shrinkage in a cast-in-place cap as a certainty and recommends reinforcement to help control cracking, with extra in the overhang.

When we form a new crown, reinforcement goes in before the concrete, sized to the crown and kept clear of the edges. That will not make a crown crack-proof, but it keeps fine cracks from opening into gaps that let water through.

Coating over an older coating

Crowns that have been treated before may carry a layer of old sealer, paint or patching compound. Some of it still grips well and some of it is peeling, and a new product cannot grip a surface that is coming loose.

We test how the old layer is holding, remove what is failing and clean the surface before anything new goes on. If the old material is unknown and the product maker calls for bare masonry, we strip it. You see that preparation listed on the estimate.

Crowns on stucco-finished chimneys

A stucco finish covers the brick or block of many chimneys, and the crown sits on top of that system. Where the crown meets the stucco, a crack or open joint lets water behind the finish, where it can travel a long way before it shows.

We check the crown edge and the top of the stucco together. If water has already got behind the finish, the crown repair includes sealing that joint, and any stucco damage is priced on its own line.