Our Services
What a lasting chase repair involves
Soft, stained or leaking, our pros repair chimney chases across Markham with a written price first.
Chase, chase top and chimney cap
Three parts sit at the top of a chase chimney. The termination cap is the metal fitting on the end of the pipe. The chase top is the metal sheet across the top of the enclosure. The chase is the framed box below both of them.
Water can enter through any of the three, and replacing one does not repair the others. We check all three from the roof and price each on its own line, so you know which part the money is going to.
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.
Chases that sit on the roof
Some chases start on the roof deck instead of the ground, rising only a few feet above the roofline. Their base sits in the path of roof water, and their framing is tied into the roof structure. Water that gets past the base flashing can travel along the roof framing and appear some distance from the chase.
Repairs to a roof-mounted chase usually involve the flashing and the roofing around it as well as the chase walls. We plan both together so the roof and the chase are closed up tight at the same time.
A yearly check of the chase and chimney
A yearly inspection is what NFPA 211 asks for on chimneys, fireplaces and vents. On a chase chimney, that visit should cover the enclosure along with the pipe, since a small leak at the top can rot framing for months before it shows.
A yearly look catches hardened sealant, loose trim, a shifted storm collar and early staining while the fix is still small. We can combine it with a sweep or a cap check on the same visit.
