Metro Detroit’s Masonry Q&A Hub

My husband noticed a few small cracks on our chimney crown when he was cleaning out our gutters. We haven't noticed any leaks yet. Should we still have it repaired?

Answer

Yes. A cracked crown creates an opening for water to enter the chimney system. Water doesn’t need a large crack to cause damage, and many chimney problems begin long before they’re noticeable from inside the house. The presence of visible cracking is usually enough reason to have the chimney evaluated and determine whether additional deterioration has already occurred. A lot of homeowners assume everything is fine because they haven’t seen water inside, but chimneys can hide damage for quite a while. By the time symptoms become obvious, the water has often been working its way through the structure for much longer than expected.

I've started finding small pieces of brick in my flower bed below the chimney. Is that usually a sign the chimney is deteriorating?

Answer

That’s usually not a good sign. Brick and mortar generally don’t end up in your flower bed unless something up on the chimney is breaking down. A lot of times it’s the mortar joints, the crown, or the top few courses of brick taking a beating from years of Michigan weather. The next step is figuring out exactly what’s failing and how extensive the deterioration has become. What lands on the ground is often just a small portion of what’s actually loose up on the chimney. We’ve seen plenty of chimneys that looked minor from the ground but had much more significant deterioration once we got a closer look.