Spent three hours on a simple crown repair that should have taken forty minutes | Chimney Sweeps

Casey Campbell · 2026-03-23T00:50:04.811539+00:00

The homeowner in Boise insisted the flashing was fine, but the mortar around the chimney crown was completely gone and water had gotten behind it. I ended up having to carefully chip out the old, failed repair and rebuild the entire crown from scratch. Has anyone else had a 'quick fix' turn into a major rebuild because the real problem was hidden?

parker_patel607mo ago

Yeah, that hidden water damage is the worst. I always check for soft spots in the surrounding material now before I even quote a crown job. It saves the surprise of having to rebuild the whole chimney base later.

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samj277mo ago

Ever try a moisture meter on the brick before you start? It can show you the hidden water path so you know what you're really fixing.

8

adams825mo ago

I mean, at that point you're basically a sculptor who didn't sign up for art class.

3