Cracked Chimney Crown

Cracked Chimney Crown

 

The big block of concrete on top of your chimney is often referred to as a crown or cap. Although such a simple part of your chimney, a crown actually plays a vital role in the whole chimney integrity! A cracked chimney crown does a poor job protecting ANYTHING and EVERYTHING below it. So what can be done?

There are two common routes, maintenance or repair:

Maintenance:

If you catch your cracked chimney crown early on or decide towards some preventative maintenance you will most likely be steered towards an application of crown coat cement. Crown coat cement is a patch layer applied evenly over the entire cracked concrete crown and can be applied to a non cracked crown as well. This is a great way to extend the life and protect everything below your chimney crown. When choosing to go with crown coat cement on minor cracking concrete, you can expect, in our experience, at least five (5) years of life before a new application should be applied. Believe it or not, where you live can play a big role in the lifespan of crown coat!

Lifespan: 5+ years – Cost: $-$$ – Days at work: 1

Local Chicago Note: If you live in the Chicago area and are deciding to have crown coat applied to your cracked concrete crown, please note that this lifespan may be reduced. This is in part to winters where rain/snow may freeze and thaw and where absorbed, cause hairlines cracks to start, and more deterioration as seasons come and go.

Repair:

You don’t spend your time looking up at the top of your chimney. That being said, you may one day notice a leak in your house or some backdraft from your fireplace. Chances are you have a cracked chimney crown, and like a ripped umbrella, has holes/cracks and it is not doing its job keeping everything below it protected. Consequently, everything below including the liners, bricks, and more are getting damaged causing an array of issues. This repair here is usually a partial rebuild. This consists of dismantling the necessary amount of brick courses and building back up with new brick and pouring a new chimney crown.

Lifespan: 15+ years – Cost: $$-$$$$$ – Days at work: 1 – 4 days

Local Chicago Note: If you live in the Chicago area and are deciding towards repair/rebuild make sure to do it once and do it right. It is more likely than not that there are a few extra items that need to be addressed and it is not masonry companies attempting to sell you nonsense. Many times houses are built with construction companies who are great with the big picture but are not experts in chimney work, like us!

Coast to Coast Masonry, Local Chicago Chimney Crown Experts

At Coast to Coast Masonry Group (CTC), we repair, restore, protect, and preserve masonry including brick, stone, and even your cracked chimney crown. Whether it is a crumbling chimney, a broken glass block window, or parapet wall our expert masons are here to help. We use the latest masonry technology techniques to restore brick and protect your home.

We at CTC Masonry are the complete solution to your masonry and chimney needs. We highly value our clients and seek to gain their confidence by offering the highest level of customized chimney services and masonry products at a competitive price.

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