Local chimney and fireplace work in Mandarin

Water that shows up near a chimney gets traced from the top down, because the place a stain appears is not necessarily the place where the water gets in. Water travels. It can enter at a cracked crown, run down inside the chimney wall and appear on a ceiling a few feet away. It can slip past a gap in the counter flashing, follow the roof deck and drip from a light fixture.

It can soak through porous brick on the face that takes the weather and show up only after rain driven from one direction. So the look starts at the cap and the crown, moves to the flashing on all four sides of the stack, then to the brick and mortar faces, and only then comes inside to the attic and the ceiling.

Where the source is still unclear, we water-test in stages with a hose, one area at a time, lowest first, and wait between stages so each result stands on its own. Wetting the crown and the flashing together proves nothing about which one leaks, which is why the stages matter. Once the entry point is found, the repair is matched to it.

A hairline crown crack may need only a sealer, a counter flashing that has pulled out needs resetting into a cut joint, and porous brick may need repointing and a breathable water repellent. The estimate names the entry point and the repair side by side, along with anything we ruled out and why. Inside, a damp smell or peeling paint near the chimney breast is another clue we note.

We also look at gutters and roof valleys nearby, since water from them can reach the chimney joint. An unrelated roof leak nearby is named as the roofer's. If your Mandarin ceiling already has a stain near the chimney, leave it unpainted until it has been traced, because its shape helps point to the entry. Book your free inspection in Mandarin at (904) 920-5495, or send the short form.