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Rant: chimney crown cracked after 2 seasons, got soaked on a Tuesday job
Was up on a roof in Columbus last month, mid-rain, when the homeowner's crown gave out right under my boot. Water poured straight down the flue, soaked my lines, and I had to break out the tarp and come back the next day to grind and repoint the whole thing. The mortar was soft as dirt, looked fine from the ground, but it was all sand and no Portland. Cost me an extra 6 hours and the customer was not happy about the reschedule. Anyone else finding crowns that looked solid but were basically dust after a couple winters? What do you check before you trust a crown from the outside?
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logan_mitchell6d ago
Hold off on blaming the mix alone. A crown can look great and still fail if the flue liner sits too low, letting moisture sit behind the cap where you can't see it. I check that first now, I stick my head down the flue with a light and make sure the liner pokes up above the crown level. If it doesn't, no amount of Portland is gonna save it because water backs up under the cap every freeze thaw cycle. Also tap the crown with a hammer handle, a solid one rings sharp, a dusty one thuds. Your job probably was over before it started, the mix was just the last straw after two winters of trapped water.
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