Chimney Services

Chimney chase repair for homes in Indian Mound Village

Chase repair from local pros who build to the chimney maker's clearances.

Opening the chase to see the damage

Some damage can only be judged once the siding or stucco comes off. We open the chase starting where the signs are strongest and work outward until we reach sound, dry framing. Stucco is cut along clean lines and siding comes off in whole pieces where possible, so the finish can go back neatly.

You know the plan before we start, including how far we expect to go. If the damage runs further than the estimate allowed, we stop, show you what we found and price the added work before continuing. Nothing is closed up over wet or rotted wood.

Keeping the chimney maker's clearances

Every factory-built chimney has a required air space between the pipe and anything that can burn. The DuraVent DuraTech manual, for example, calls for at least 2 inches between its pipe and combustible materials such as lumber, plywood, drywall and building insulation. Other systems set their own figures.

When we reframe a chase, we read the label or manual for the chimney inside and build to its numbers. New studs, blocking and sheathing never close up that space, even where it would make the carpentry easier.

Keeping an open chase dry

Rainy-season work on an open chase needs protection. A storm can build between one step of the job and the next, and water on bare framing or new sheathing sets the work back.

We cover open areas at the end of each day and whenever rain threatens. If the weather forces a pause, we tell you and pick up the work as soon as conditions allow. Materials waiting to go in are kept covered and off the roof surface.

Chases that hold more than one pipe

Some chases carry two chimney pipes, or a chimney and a vent for another appliance. Each pipe needs its own clearances, its own storm collar and its own opening in the chase top, and each maker's instructions apply to its own pipe.

When we repair a chase like this, we map every penetration first, keep the spacing between terminations and confirm each collar and seal before the walls and top are closed. If one of the pipes serves another appliance, that appliance's venting instructions govern its clearances and termination.