A chimney leak traced and repaired in Flagami

Leaks at the top of a metal chimney

A factory-built chimney has a listed metal flue with its own cap. Where it passes through a chase top, a storm collar sheds water away from the pipe. If the collar slips or its seal fails, water can run down the outside of the pipe into the chase.

We check the cap, the collar and how the chase cover meets the pipe. Parts for a listed chimney have to be the ones its maker specifies. If a part is missing or wrong, the estimate names the listed replacement rather than a generic substitute.

What a leak repair estimate lists

A leak repair estimate should connect every item to the evidence behind it. Ours does, and for a chimney in Flagami it lists the following.

Anything we could not confirm is marked that way. Upfront pricing covers each listed item. If something new turns up during the repair, it comes to you as a separate item for approval before any work on it.

• The symptom history and where water appeared
• The paths checked and which were ruled out
• The confirmed or likely source, with the evidence
• The repair for that source, and what it leaves out

Leak repair in Flagami follows one order

Every chimney leak repair in Flagami follows the same order: trace, confirm, repair, then check. Skipping ahead to the repair is how leaks end up patched several times without stopping.

Tracing starts with your history and the marks inside. Confirming may need a closer look at the top, the roof junction or the masonry, and sometimes a hose water test if the job calls for it. The repair is then written for the confirmed path. The check comes with the next heavy rain, and we want to hear how it went.

Accessible parts and concealed parts

An inspection can judge the parts it can reach. The top of the chimney, the exposed masonry, the roof junction, the attic framing and the firebox can be seen directly. The inside of walls, the space behind finishes and the underside of roofing cannot.

Our findings separate what we saw from what we inferred. Where a conclusion depends on something concealed, we say so. If opening an area would settle the question, we explain what that involves and let you decide whether it is worth doing.