Water is coming down my chimney. Is that the roof or the chimney?

On most houses it's the chimney, and the top of it. Roofers get called for this constantly and go away without fixing it, because the water is entering above the roofline where the roof isn't the problem. We photograph the crown, the flashing and the cover so you can see where it's actually getting in.

There is a stain on the ceiling next to my fireplace. What is that?

Water that has been getting in for a while. On a masonry chimney it's usually a cracked crown or open mortar joints. On a chimney with siding on it, it's almost always a rusted-through chase cover. Either way the stain is the last stop, and it started at the top.

I smell something musty when it rains. Is that related?

Yes, that's usually water in the chimney. A chimney that has taken on water smells worse in humidity because the moisture is releasing back into the room through the firebox.

Can this wait until spring?

The leak cannot, but the masonry sometimes has to. Poured crowns and rebuilds need temperature to cure, so full repairs are warm-season work. We can stop water getting in at any time of year, and we'll tell you honestly which half of that your chimney needs.

Does my homeowners insurance cover it?

Gradual water damage from a failed crown is normally treated as maintenance and isn't covered. Sudden damage, like a lightning strike or a chimney fire, often is. Photographs of the actual condition help either conversation, and we send those with every estimate.

Water Coming Down Your Chimney

A stain by the fireplace, a musty smell when it rains, or water in the firebox. All of it starts at the top, and all of it's fixable.

Call 320.414.0191 Request an Appointment

Free written estimate on any chimney we can see. We send photos of what we found on your roof, not a verbal guess.

Water in a chimney almost never starts where you see it. By the time there's a stain on the ceiling or a smell in the room, it has been getting in at the top for a while. There are only four ways in, and they're all fixable.

The four ways water gets into a chimney

A cracked crown. The concrete cap on top splits, and every rainfall runs straight into the joints below it. This is the most common cause on a brick chimney and the cheapest to put right.
Open mortar joints. Once the joints above the roofline have eroded, the chimney takes on water like a sponge. That water freezes inside the masonry and pushes the brick faces off.
A rusted chase cover. On a chimney with siding on it, the flat metal lid on top is the entire waterproofing system. Builder-grade covers sit flat, hold standing water, and perforate at twenty-five to thirty years. Then the water runs down the flue pipe into the framing.
Failed flashing. Where the chimney meets the roof. Correct flashing is metal. If someone has been at yours with a tube of tar, that was a two-year fix sold as a permanent one.

The two-minute check: stand back with your phone camera zoomed in on the top of the chimney. A crack across the crown, daylight between courses, rust streaks running down siding, or brick faces missing all tell you where it's coming from. Send us that photo and we'll tell you what we're looking at.

Why the roofer couldn't fix it

Because on a lot of these houses the roof isn't the problem. Water entering at the crown or through open joints is above the roofline entirely, and no amount of shingle work reaches it. That's masonry, and masonry is what we do.

What it does if you leave it

Water in a chimney in Minnesota isn't a slow problem. It freezes, expands, and takes the masonry apart from the inside, so every winter the repair gets bigger. A crown that could have been replaced becomes a top section that has to be rebuilt. Inside the house it reaches framing, drywall and the firebox itself.

What we do about it

Chimney Crown Rebuilds

The concrete cap on top is the part that fails first in Minnesota. We tear the cracked crown off and pour a new one with a real overhang and a drip edge so water leaves the chimney instead of running down inside the brick.

Tuckpointing & Repointing

Freeze-thaw pulls the mortar out of the joints a little more every winter. We grind the failed joints out and repoint with mortar matched to the brick, so the chimney stops drinking water.

Above-the-Roofline Rebuilds

When the brick above the roof is spalling, leaning, or has open joints all the way through, we take the chimney down to sound masonry and rebuild it. Plenty of chimney companies sub this out. We self-perform it.

Flashing, Chase Covers & Waterproofing

Rusted-through chase covers, failed storm collars, tar-smeared flashing. We replace the metal, correct the flashing, and seal the masonry with a vapor-permeable water repellent.

Straight answers

Water is coming down my chimney. Is that the roof or the chimney?: On most houses it's the chimney, and the top of it. Roofers get called for this constantly and go away without fixing it, because the water is entering above the roofline where the roof isn't the problem. We photograph the crown, the flashing and the cover so you can see where it's actually getting in.
There is a stain on the ceiling next to my fireplace. What is that?: Water that has been getting in for a while. On a masonry chimney it's usually a cracked crown or open mortar joints. On a chimney with siding on it, it's almost always a rusted-through chase cover. Either way the stain is the last stop, and it started at the top.
I smell something musty when it rains. Is that related?: Yes, that's usually water in the chimney. A chimney that has taken on water smells worse in humidity because the moisture is releasing back into the room through the firebox.
Can this wait until spring?: The leak cannot, but the masonry sometimes has to. Poured crowns and rebuilds need temperature to cure, so full repairs are warm-season work. We can stop water getting in at any time of year, and we'll tell you honestly which half of that your chimney needs.
Does my homeowners insurance cover it?: Gradual water damage from a failed crown is normally treated as maintenance and isn't covered. Sudden damage, like a lightning strike or a chimney fire, often is. Photographs of the actual condition help either conversation, and we send those with every estimate.

Send us a photo

Text a zoomed picture of the top of your chimney to 320.414.0191 and we'll tell you where the water is getting in.