Chimney Services
Chase repair details that keep water out
Chase repairs confirmed in the 72 hours after your free inspection are 10% off.
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.
Stains inside near the fireplace
Water that gets into a chase often ends up inside the house. It runs down the framing to the top of the fireplace, the wall beside it or the ceiling below the chase, and shows up as a stain or a damp smell after rain.
An indoor stain does not tell you where the water entered. We follow it back up through the chase to the entry point, whether that is the top, a seam or the roof flashing, before quoting a repair.
Animals getting into the chase
Gaps at the top of a chase, rotted corners and open joints at the soffit give birds, squirrels and rodents a way into the enclosure. Nesting material in a chase holds moisture and can crowd the air space around the chimney pipe.
If we find signs of animals, we check whether any are still inside before sealing anything, and removal follows the wildlife rules that apply. The repair then closes the openings so the chase stays empty. Screens at the chase top are fitted only where the chimney maker allows them.
Using the fireplace before the chase is repaired
A wet chase does not always make a fireplace unsafe, but some findings do. Damaged pipe sections, missing firestop parts or combustible material packed into the required air space are reasons to stop using the fireplace until they are corrected. Stains on the siding alone are a repair question, while problems at the pipe or its clearances are a safety question.
At the inspection you hear plainly whether the fireplace can be used in the meantime. When the repair is complete, we explain what was corrected and any remaining restrictions.
