The chimney crown is beneficial in countless ways, and any damage to it may lead to the breakdown of your entire chimney. The basic purpose of the chimney crown is to keep water away from the chimney. Being a water barrier, a crown is considered the first line of defense for the overall chimney system. If the crown fails to function because of any damage, your chimney will begin to leak. These leaks can cause the fireplace to crumble, resulting in severe structural damages. Constructing the chimney crown well and maintaining it in good condition means that you are going to keep your chimney and the rest of your masonry in good shape and function. In this way, you will be restricted from expensive and time-consuming chimney repair and rebuilding.
Chimney Crown Repair:
Chimney crown repair becomes a need when several problems arise with it, including:
⦁ Deterioration of the concrete
⦁ Cracked chimney crown
⦁ Structural degradation
If you have noticed any of those, please contact a certified chimney technician. Being a chimney owner, it is not very common to find those problems yourself and that’s why it is important to perform a thorough inspection by a certified chimney technician on a yearly basis. Keep in mind that a problem with the crown could create other problems with the integrity of the structure as well as problems with the operation on the entire chimney system.
Unfortunately, chimney crowns deteriorate over time because of direct contact with extreme weather conditions and other harsh elements. Even a well built chimney crown will eventually fail, but it might fail 10-30 years later than a poorly constructed chimney crown. Once a certified chimney technician is on site, he will be able to perform a thorough inspection and share all the possibilities with you as well as the different costs.
Chimney Crown Rebuild:
The direct exposure of the chimney crown to worse weather conditions eventually results in the chimney’s leakage, which gets worse with time. Annual certified inspection and regular chimney maintenance are the keys to delay crown damage. Unmaintained crowns will fails to divert the water away from the chimney system, causing severe damage. In this situation, rebuilding the chimney crown is the best solution.
The crown is also reinforced with steel, and quality material is used to sustain the crown’s efficiency for a longer time. On the other hand, improper care, maintenance or repairs will result in the chimney crown failing faster. Before approaching rebuilding, a thorough inspection of the crown’s condition is mandatory to understand how far the damage is, and then rebuild it according to current standards set by the NFPA211.
Conclusion
This article is a comprehensive guide assembling all the basic information about chimney crowns, their importance, and why fixing them on time is important. In conclusion, a chimney crown plays a major role in keeping the entire chimney system efficient because of its role in safeguarding the chimney from water damage. If any damage occurs to the chimney crown, there are several options to eliminate the damage, including, chimney crown repair and rebuilding. However, regular sweeping and maintenance avoid the crown’s damage. It is recommended to rely on
certified sweep services to repair or rebuild chimney crowns to boost their effectiveness for a longer duration.
