Chimney Services
Our chase specialists at work in Lock Arbor
Same-day chase inspections are available in Lock Arbor when the schedule allows.
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.
The top of the chase and its flashing
The top of a chase is closed with a metal sheet or flashing that the chimney passes through. In the DuraTech manual, a chase larger than its chase top flashing gets a galvanized sheet that covers the chase and overhangs the sides by one-half to three-quarters of an inch, with spacers keeping the required air gaps and screw heads sealed with non-hardening sealant.
A rusted or flat top lets water pond and drain into the framing. When the top has failed, we price its replacement alongside the chase repair so the new walls are not sitting under an old leak.
Preparing the chase for storm season
Each year the Atlantic hurricane season spans June 1 to November 30, and a tall chase takes wind and rain on every face. Loose siding, open seams, a lifted top and worn flashing let water in quickly once a tropical storm arrives.
Spring is a good time to have the chase checked and repaired. After a strong storm, we look for lifted panels, damaged trim, a shifted top and new stains, and we fix loose parts before the next rain.
Judging wet and rotted framing
Wood that looks sound can still be wet, and wood that is dry today may have been wet for years. When the chase is open, we check the framing and sheathing by probing for soft spots and, where we can, by reading moisture.
Wet but sound framing is allowed to dry before it is closed in. Soft, crumbling or split wood is replaced. You see which is which before we decide together how much comes out. A moisture reading tells us about the water in the wood and probing tells us about its strength, so we use both.
