This unfortunate chimney had been beaten by nearby trees for years. As a result, it needed a concrete crown replacement. So frequently crowns are made of mortar and quickly crack. This leads to damaged brickwork very quickly. It is important to investigate whether you need crown repair or replacement.
On our chimney, the caps were missing. The flue tiles were cracked and/or destroyed. And the top few rows of bricks had been destroyed or damaged. It needed some help.
Fortunately the chimney height far exceeded the code requirements. (Minimum 3ft above the roof penetration and 2 feet taller than anything within 10ft). We were able to shorten this chimney by a few rows, until we found a sturdy stopping point.
We shortened one of the flue tiles to be even with its neighbor, and removed a “dummy” flue tile. The next steps include: measuring the forms, cutting the rebar, setting up the mixing station, and finally pouring the concrete.
As you can see, the finished product leaves us with a very sturdy concrete crown with overhanging edge to protect the bricks below it. The previous crown was almost certainly made of mortar, which simply does not last in this area. A concrete crown replacement can last 100+ years. This will likely be the case as the customer allowed us to apply Chimney Saver Waterproofing to the crown and brickwork after some minor tuckpointing. Properly waterproofing a chimney effectively eliminates the possibility of sustaining damage from freezing and thawing of moisture like so many chimneys suffer from. Sometimes waterproofing can even eliminate the need for crown repair or replacement.
