boston ma chimney inspection

What is a Chimney Crown?

cracked chimney crown

A chimney is built using numerous components, ensuring proper function and even beauty. One important piece of the chimney is the crown. The crown is a slab that covers the top of your chimney made from materials ranging from metal to stone or concrete. This is what you should know about chimney crowns and their importance to your chimney.

Chimney Crown Construction

Chimney crowns are quite simple by design. They are a solid surface that sits on top of the chimney and protects the masonry from water damage. Chimney crowns should never be made from brick and mortar because it doesn’t provide proper protection against moisture. Furthermore, chimney crowns can be constructed with a slight pitch to help direct water away from the chimney.

The Purpose of a Chimney Crown

The primary purpose of a chimney crown is to protect your chimney from moisture damage. Moisture can wreak havoc on the structure of your chimney and cause an array of issues. This is one of the first lines of defense against the elements and it’s critical that it stays in good shape throughout the years.

The Consequences of a Cracked Chimney Crown

While maintaining your chimney crown likely isn’t on the top of your priority list, you don’t want to push the condition of this component to the backburner. If a chimney crown becomes cracked or otherwise damaged, it can compromise the structure of your chimney. Over time, moisture begins to eat away at the mortar between the bricks as it seeps through the cracks. The interior of the chimney can also become damaged if the chimney crown is cracked.

The bad news is that once a crack begins on a chimney crown it can grow larger. It’s provoked by the freeze and thaw cycle with our brutal Boston winters. As the crack grows larger, this increases the likelihood that water can make its way inside of the chimney, fireplace, and even stain interior ceilings or walls.

Repairing or replacing the chimney crown is critical to protecting the chimney from extensive damage as well as the inside of your home. Possible solutions include repairing the surface of the chimney crown or completely rebuilding it. A professional chimney service company can help you make the best decision for the health of your chimney and home.

Contact Us for Professional Chimney Sweeping Services and More

Whether you need a new chimney crown or it’s time for your annual chimney inspection, choose us for expert and reliable chimney services in Boston. Call us at 781-893-6611 or contact us online!

Leave a comment

Hey, so you decided to leave a comment! That's great. Just fill in the required fields and hit submit. Note that your comment will need to be reviewed before its published.

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Top