Chimney Flashing Repair: How To Fix Leaky Chimney Flashing

Did you know your chimney could potentially outlast your home? It isn’t all that uncommon to see homes completely falling apart with their chimneys still intact.

As long as a chimney is installed properly, you may be able to get more than 100 years of life out of it. A well-built fireplace should also last this long.

But unfortunately, chimney flashing might begin to go long before your chimney does. This could lead to you having to deal with a leaking chimney. It’ll also put you in a position where you’ll need to take on chimney flashing repair.

So, what is chimney flashing? Why will it sometimes lead to your chimney leaking? And how can you fix chimney flashing to stop a leaking chimney?

Continue reading to find out the answers to these questions.

What Is Chimney Flashing?

Before we start discussing how to do chimney flashing repair, you need to know what chimney flashing actually is. It might not be something that’s on your radar until you have a leaking chimney on your hands.

Chimney flashing is sheet metal that’s placed around the outside of a chimney to prevent water from leaking into your home. It’s placed at the point where your chimney meets your roof to stop moisture in its tracks.

Chimney flashing can be made out of any number of materials, including aluminum, copper, and stainless steel.

Why Does Chimney Flashing Fail?

Your chimney flashing can fail at any point for a variety of reasons. While chimney flashing will typically last for a long time, it might start to give out on you almost right away if it isn’t installed properly.

For this reason, you should always have a professional roofing company that has experience working on chimneys to lend a hand with chimney flashing. It’ll ensure it gets installed in the right way from the start.

There are also several other reasons why chimney flashing might not last as long as you would like. Here are a few of them:

• Rust
• Corrosion
• Warping
• Wear and tear
• Damage by snow and ice

It’d be worth inspecting your chimney flashing either on your own or with help from a roofing professional every so often. It’ll shine a light on any possible problems you might be having with chimney flashing and help prevent a leaking chimney in the first place.

Which Signs Show Chimney Flashing Needs to Be Repaired?

If your chimney flashing is in need of repair, you might not notice it right away. It may not allow water to leak into your home in some cases.

But over time, you will start to see signs that’ll show that your chimney flashing needs to be repaired. Here are some of them:

• You’re seeing water stains appear on the walls and/or ceilings near your fireplace
• You’re spotting water accumulating in your attic space
• You’re noticing mold and mildew growing in your attic
• You’re finding discolored bricks in your chimney and fireplace

If you spot any of these signs, you’ll more than likely need to schedule chimney flashing repair ASAP. Otherwise, you might need to do more extensive repair work to your chimney and your home as a whole in the not-too-distant future.

How Does Chimney Flashing Repair Work?

If you need to do chimney flashing repair, a roofing company might be able to slap a band-aid on the problem to make it go away for now. But this isn’t going to eliminate the issue altogether.

Because of this, the best form of chimney flashing repair is replacing chimney flashing. You’re going to have to do this at some point anyway, so why not do it now instead of putting off the inevitable by attempting to repair chimney flashing?

Replacing chimney flashing isn’t going to cost you that much money in the end. It’ll be a worthwhile investment on your part.

How Much Does Chimney Flashing Repair Cost?

The great news for those who need to replace chimney flashing is that it shouldn’t cost you too much money. The average chimney flashing repair job will only run you between $200 and $300.

This will end up being a pretty small price to pay for such an important part of your chimney. You can avoid more costly repairs to your chimney, your fireplace, and even the walls and ceilings in your home by putting new chimney flashing in place.

Once you have new chimney flashing installed, you also won’t have to worry about doing it again for quite some time. It’ll stay put for the foreseeable future.

Who Should You Call On for Chimney Flashing Repair?

If you need to have chimney flashing repair done, you shouldn’t rely on just any roofing company to assist you. Instead, you should look high and low for one of the most experienced and reputable roofing companies around.

A company like this will be able to diagnose the problem with your chimney flashing. They’ll also be able to replace your old chimney flashing with new chimney flashing in no time.

Additionally, this company can inspect the rest of your chimney, fireplace, and home to find out if anything else needs to be fixed. It’s worth searching for the best company for the job so that you know it’s going to get done right.

Contact Us to Help You Replace Chimney Flashing

If you have a leaking chimney right now, this isn’t going to be something you’ll want to live with for too long. You’ll kick yourself later if you decide to let an issue like this linger for days, weeks, or even months on end.

Your goal should be to have chimney flashing repair performed as soon as you can. It’ll stop your chimney from leaking and make it last for a much longer time overall.

Hammerhead Roofing can help you with chimney flashing repair and other roofing repairs. Call us today to schedule a consultation.