Chimney Flashing Repair

The importance of proper chimney flashing repair cannot be overemphasized. This one area of your roof can cause extensive damage if not properly protected.

A roofer's skill and expertise are called into play when flashing and sealing around a chimney. Leaks around the chimney flashing are seldom noticed until major damage is done. There is not the usual drip that is seen with other roofing leaks. The leak is often unnoticed until it appears as a stain on the ceiling.

The first action is usually to cover the area with roofing tar or a synthetic roof patch. This seldom works and usually complicates the problem. The proper plan is to remove the existing roofing and flashing until the edge of the underlayment and the sides of the chimney are exposed.

Rarely is the chimney covered with siding. This usually occurs on today's modern chimneys where the chimney is pipe and is boxed in with matching siding to the house. With this type of installation, the flashing can be placed under the siding and the top of the flashing will not be exposed to weather.

On brick chimneys, the top of the flashing is visible and exposed. The only way it can be sealed is with a tight fit and a high quality sealant that is properly installed. No sealant will last indefinitely, so brick and any other masonry chimney should have its flashing inspected at least semi-annually.

The flashing around brick chimneys can be visible from the ground, so the choice of material and the way it is sealed is an aesthetic problem as well. Any chimney flashing repair should be made with this in mind.

The location of the chimney on the roof also affects the type of flashing used. No amount of flashing can protect a chimney that is not properly framed into place. Chimneys that need the protective framing that looks like a small roof on their back side, known in the industry as a "cricket", will nearly always develop problems if one is not installed.

Before a flashing repair is decided on, the determination should be made if a cricket is needed. If there is a large accumulation of dirt and debris against the bottom of the chimney and the roof a cricket is needed. No amount of flashing can substitute for a cricket.

If water is not diverted around the chimney and debris can collect there will eventually be a leak. A good chimney flashing repair depends on the experience of the roofer and should not be attempted by the untrained or an amateur.