Chimney Repair in Cherry Hill, NJ

Leaks usually start in one of four places. A missing or broken cap lets rain drop into the flue, where it rusts the damper plate and wets the shelf behind it. A crown that is cracked, or that was poured flat with no overhang, lets water into the top courses of brick. Flashing that has lifted, rusted or was only ever held on with caulk lets water run along the chimney into the attic. And mortar joints that have eroded let the face of the chimney take on water every time it rains.

The signs show up inside before they do outside: a stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, a musty smell from the fireplace in humid weather, rust on the damper, flakes of tile in the firebox or the cleanout. Outside, look for white staining on the brick, which is salt carried out by water, brick faces that have popped off, gaps around the crown, and a stack that no longer looks plumb. Any of these is a reason to have the chimney looked at from the roof.

A cap is the simplest repair on the list and one of the most useful, because it keeps rain out of the flue altogether. Where one stack holds several flues, a single cap can cover all of them. The cap is sized to the flue so it does not choke the draft, and a mesh side keeps sparks in and leaves out. Hairline cracks in a sound crown can be sealed, but a crown that is crumbling, or that was built flat, is rebuilt with a slope and an overhang that throws water clear of the brick below.

At the roofline, step flashing is woven in with the shingles along the sides of the chimney, and counter flashing is set into the mortar joints above it so water sheds over the top. When the old flashing is only tar and sealant over a gap, it is replaced properly rather than patched again. The roof around the chimney is checked at the same time, since a leak blamed on flashing is sometimes a failed shingle a few feet away.

Repointing removes failed mortar to a sound depth and packs new mortar into the joints. On an older chimney the mix matters. The National Park Service's guidance on repointing historic masonry is that new mortar must be softer and more permeable to vapor than the brick, and no harder than the original mortar, with the sand matched to the old joints. A hard modern mix on soft old brick forces the brick to take the stress and the moisture, and the faces of the bricks start to break away. Spalled bricks are replaced with brick that matches in size and color, and joints are tooled to match the ones around them.

In Haddonfield's historic district, the borough's historic preservation commission requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for roofing, siding or any alteration to the exterior appearance of a building, so work that would change how a chimney looks (a new cap, a rebuilt top, different brick) is planned with that review in mind. If you are unsure whether a repair counts, the borough directs questions to its zoning officer. The crew describes exactly what it proposes, and the written estimate gives you something to take to that conversation.

Inside, a flue liner that has cracked or lost pieces no longer holds heat and exhaust away from the brick and the framing around it. Short damaged sections can sometimes be repaired, and a flue with widespread damage, or one serving a gas appliance it was not sized for, can be relined with a new liner. When a furnace or water heater is changed, the liner is checked against the new appliance, because a flue that suited the old one can be the wrong size for the new one. A damper rusted stiff by years of rain is replaced. Where the top courses above the roof have loosened, they are taken down and relaid; a full rebuild is kept for a chimney that is no longer safe to repair piece by piece, and you will be told if yours is one.

Each repair starts with a free estimate, based on an inspection from the roof and the firebox, with photos of what was found. AMG Duct Cleaning Cherry Hill is veteran owned and licensed and insured (NJ HIC 13VH13654300), and the phone is staffed 8 AM to 8 PM, Monday to Saturday. Chimney repair covers Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Haddon Heights, Collingswood, Moorestown and Pennsauken, and a chimney cleaning is often done first so the liner can be seen.