Local Chimney Repair Company Serving Jacksonville

What a chimney has to do

A chimney does five separate jobs. It sheds rain, holds the heat of a fire away from the framing, carries smoke out with enough draft, moves on its own footing without tearing the roof, and keeps animals and debris out of the flue. The crown, cap, flashing and brick faces shed water. The flue liner, the smoke chamber and the air space around the masonry handle heat. Flue size and height set the draft, and the footing and the gap at the roof deck let the chimney move.

Good chimney damage repair starts by naming which of those jobs broke, and it is a fair question to put to anyone you are comparing: which job failed, and how do you know?

Water, heat and draft

The residential code (FBC R1003.9.1) wants a masonry chimney topped with concrete, metal or stone, pitched to shed rain, with a drip edge and a sealed flexible joint at each flue liner. A thin mortar wash cracks and moves the damage into the brick below, which is chimney crown repair. Flashing seals the roof line, and a stain inside is where chimney leak repair and its water testing start.

R1003.11 says masonry chimneys shall be lined to suit the appliance, and R1003.18 calls for a 2-inch airspace between the interior of a masonry chimney and combustible material, which we check from the attic. Below the liner, smoke chamber repair parges the stepped brick smooth so gases move straight up, and a fireplace and chimney repair visit covers the parts you reach from the room as well as what shows above the roof.

Under R1003.9, a chimney has to stand 3 feet above its roof penetration and 2 feet above anything within 10 feet. An addition or a steeper new roof can leave an older chimney short, and a flue sized wrong for the fire drafts poorly, so we write down the flue size, the opening and the heights.

Movement, animals and storm damage

A masonry chimney sits on its own footing under FBC Residential R1001.2, while the wood-framed house around it shrinks and settles. Cracks that follow the mortar and hold their width can be old movement that has stopped. Cracks through the brick, cracks that grow or a lean point to the footing or the ties, and may belong under chimney rebuild.

A screened cap keeps birds, animals and debris out, and where the screen is a spark arrestor, R1003.9.2 sets its net free area at no less than four times that of the flue outlet. Some birds that nest in chimneys are protected by federal law while eggs or young are present. A cap thrown off or brick knocked loose in a storm is storm damage chimney repair.

Which repair comes first, and other trades

With more than one problem, heat and smoke faults come first because they can put fire or carbon monoxide where they do not belong, and the fireplace stays out of service until they are fixed. Water entry comes second, movement third unless it is active, and worn parts last. The aim is to fix a chimney once, with the smallest repair that holds on each line.

Chimney and roof repair meet at the flashing. A roofer handles roof covering beyond the flashing detail, a gas contractor handles gas supply and an electrician handles wiring, and our chimney repair services stop where those trades begin. When a chimney needs several of these fixes, carried out in order, the job becomes a chimney restoration, priced line by line. A repaired chimney still gets its yearly NFPA 211 check, and water pouring in after hours goes to the emergency chimney repair line.

Whatever you are seeing on your chimney, call (904) 920-5495 or book a free inspection online.