Signs a brick chimney is leaking or coming apart

The chimney is the most exposed masonry on a house. It sticks up above the roof with weather hitting it from every side, rain and snow land on top of it, and it never gets the shelter of eaves the way the walls do. On an old house it may also be the oldest, softest brick on the property.

So when an old brick house starts to have masonry trouble, the chimney is usually where it shows up first.

Water stains on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney are the most common clue. They tend to show up after a hard rain or when snow melts. You might also notice a damp or musty smell near a fireplace, peeling paint or wallpaper on the chimney breast, or white crusty deposits on the brick inside the attic.

A stain does not always mean the brick itself is the problem. It can be the flashing where the chimney meets the roof. But it always means water is getting in somewhere around the chimney and should be tracked down.

Stand back in the yard, or use binoculars or a phone camera zoomed in. Look at the top few feet of the chimney first. That is where the damage is usually worst.

• Brick faces flaking or popping off
• Mortar joints recessed, cracked or empty
• Loose or missing brick near the top
• A cracked or crumbling top surface
• White staining running down the brick
• A lean, or a gap between the chimney and the house

The top of a masonry chimney is usually finished with a sloped cap of mortar or concrete, often called the crown, that sheds water off the brick. When that top cracks or crumbles, water runs straight down into the chimney brick and the joints, and every freeze makes it worse.

A lot of chimney damage in this area starts right there. Looking at the top once in a while, and dealing with cracks before they open up, saves a lot of brick.

White staining on the outside of a chimney, usually running down from the top or from under the cap, is salt that water has carried out of the brick and mortar. It means a lot of water is moving through that masonry. Dark streaks and green growth on the shady side point the same way: the brick there stays wet.

None of that is urgent by itself. But a chimney that is wet all the time is a chimney that freezes wet all winter, and that is how the top courses come loose.

Plenty of older houses around Hoopeston have a chimney that has not served a fireplace or a furnace in a long time. Those still need looking after. An unused chimney gets the same weather as a working one, and because nobody thinks about it, it is often the one in the worst shape. Sometimes the right answer is repair. Sometimes it is a conversation about what to do with a chimney nobody needs.

Not every chimney leak is a masonry job. Flashing, the metal that seals the gap between the chimney and the roof, is a common source of leaks and is often roofing work. A missing rain cap can let water straight down the flue. Inside the chimney, the flue liner is its own subject.

The masonry part is the brick, the mortar joints and the top. If those are failing, the chimney needs a mason. Brian can tell you which part looks like the trouble from good photos.

A chimney that has started to lean, or has pulled away from the side of the house, needs attention soon. Leaning usually means a problem with the footing under it, badly failed mortar, or a chimney top that has been coming apart for a long time. Do not wait on that one. Keep people and cars away from the side it is leaning toward and get it looked at.

A photo of the whole chimney from the ground, a zoomed in photo of the top, and a photo of any stain inside. Text them with your town to (217) 549-2230.