The Top Causes of Winter Chimney Leaks 

With the increased costs of the winter season, there’s no secret that unexpected issues are costly and unwanted. Unfortunately, during the winter months, you may experience your chimney leaking at home. It’s not unique to the winter months, but the cold weather and constant freezing and thawing can exacerbate issues. 

Below are the top 3 reasons you may encounter leaking. While it isn’t a guarantee any of the below options are the cause of your issues, there is a good chance it’s related to one or more of these issues. 

Missing or broken chimney cap

This seems simple, but sometimes things happen to the cap or cover, and it leads to a free path for water and other debris to enter your chimney, and potentially your home. The bonus of an intact chimney cover is that it’ll keep our birds and other critters that shouldn’t be in your chimney. Luckily, this is a very simple and inexpensive fix for you as a homeowner. 

Chimney flashing issues

Chimney flashing is the waterproof material that seals the gaps between your chimney and roof. It is often composed of aluminium and sometimes tar to fill in any extra gaps. While this solution does the trick for a while, it is possible that it could break down and lead to issues with leaking. This can be especially true if there has been a lot of fluctuation in the temperatures. The freezing could make for brittle and unreliable sealing. If yours does experience breakdown, there are new and reliable solutions on the market to help.

Chimney crown cracks

Your chimney crown is made of cement and found on the top of your chimney. While cement is a very strong material, but it isn’t resistant to age, settling, or the elements. Natural settling of buildings and cement could lead to hairline cracks. Oftentimes these aren’t critical but overtime they may expand and create more issues. One common way this occurs is when water finds its way inside these cracks, goes through a freeze cycle, and expands, then thaws and contracts. This can speed up damage and the potential for noticeable leaks. 

Luckily, there are a few ways to tackle cracks. It’s best if they’re find prior to major damage. If that’s the case, crown coating material can help to reseal the structure. If it is farther along, though, your chimney professionals may suggest completely removing and rebuilding that section of the masonry. This is common and our professionals are versed in solutions to mitigate the issue as soon as well can within a budget that you can afford. 

Experiencing chimney leaks?

Call your local professionals at Dubuque Fireplace & Patio to get it checked out as soon as possible. If you’re in the Dubuque, IA or surrounding area, you can call us at 563-582-5156. We are experienced in all things fireplace and patio and can help you from install to troubleshooting. No issue will be too difficult or complex for our seasoned team of chimney professionals.