We Specialize In Crown Repairs & Moisture Protection With CrownSeal

 

The team here at Sootmaster knows that chimney leaks can be devastating. Leaks usually go unnoticed or unresolved, and in many cases, the crown is the culprit.

The crown repairs is the cement segment that sits atop the chimney stack. It closes off everything but the flue itself. The purpose of the crown is to really protect the chimney against anything that might try to make its way in — from animals and birds to you guessed it, water. As you can imagine, it’s a tough job and one that requires proper construction and maintenance. Unfortunately, these aren’t always a given.

One thing we find quite often is that crowns are sometimes poorly built and made of improper materials that are vulnerable to damage. Our goal is to ensure that homeowners have properly built crowns that are capable of warding off rain and water problems, storm after storm. With Sootmaster, quality work is a must — we never settle for sub-par results with crown repairs.

Don’t Let a Damaged Crown Ruin Your Day

So what do we mean when we say “poorly built” and “made of improper materials?”

• No Slope. If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense to make the crown flat. This would only encourage water to rest atop the crown and deteriorate it. Instead, a crown should be slightly angled or sloped to encourage any rain that does fall to run off of the crown and exit the roof.
• No Drip Edge. Remember, the purpose of the crown is to prevent leaks, not cause them. But when there’s no drip edge or area that extends past the chimney stack,. The crown will just dump rainwater onto the masonry stack of the chimney or onto the flashing at its base. Both are bad scenarios, which is why a good crown will have a drip edge that extends at least 2-3 inches past the chimney chase.
• Not Concrete. We know, it’s surprising, but sometimes builders use whatever materials are cheap and close at hand. In fact, they sometimes build chimney crowns out of the standard mortar used to tuckpoint joints when building the chimney. However, this is really not designed to last in the position the crown is in. A good crown should be constructed of concrete and reinforced with mesh so it will last.
• Too Thin. Thickness is also a component and can determine the durability and effectiveness of the crown repairs. If a crown is thinner than two inches at its thinnest point, water will quickly work to erode and deteriorate the crown and make its way into your home.

Prevent Damage & Protect Your Crown With CrownSeal

We offer our customers extra peace of mind by applying ChimneySaver CrownSeal to repaired crowns. CrownSeal is a coating that is painted onto the crown to provide a flexible, waterproof membrane. It’s environmentally friendly and remains permanently flexible. Moreover, it won’t contribute to more cracks as the crown expands and contracts with the weather. This product can also be colored using mortar dye, so we can simply color match the product to your crown.

Ready to give your crown 10+ years of protection against water and water-related damage like cracks? Call Sootmaster or reach out to us through our website and request an appointment to have your crown repaired and sealed with CrownSeal!

You can find your local Sootmaster for your area via our area service page. Or you can just request an appointment through our online scheduling form right here on our website and we’ll send a first-class chimney professional right to your door.

We look forward to helping you keep your home beautiful and leak-free!

Solving your water leak issue could be as simple as having your chimney professionally waterproofed.