As fantastic as having an open fire in your home can be, it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Fireplaces and stoves can generate a lot of warmth and can make things nice and cozy during the winter, but they also require a great deal of maintenance.
Without question, the hardest part of an open fire to maintain is the chimney. Keeping your chimney in full working order and well maintained is not only important for allowing your fire to burn efficiently, it’s essential for your own health and safety.
For chimney owners, a leaking chimney is one of the most frustrating, yet common issues you will encounter. 9 times out of 10, if rainwater is getting into your chimney, the flashing will be the root cause. Thankfully, there are plenty of solutions, and if you know what you’re doing, repairing chimney flashing needn’t be a huge issue, or cost.
Here’s a DIY guide and cost breakdown for fixing chimney flashing.
What is Chimney Flashing?
If you own a fireplace, stove, or any similar open fire source, you must have a chimney fitted to allow the smoke and harmful fumes to be exhausted from your home. An integral part of your fire’s chimney is the flashing.
Chimney flashing basically serves as a layer of waterproof material to prevent rainwater from getting into your home via your chimney. Flashing is typically made from a thin layer of lead or sheet metal and provides a waterproof seal around the joint where your chimney is built into your roof.
If installed correctly, chimney flashing prevents rainwater, moisture, and other forms of debris from getting into your home, which would otherwise cause damage such as rot and mold. This would not only cause potential health issues, but it could also lead to structural damage, which would prove extremely costly indeed.
Useful Tips for Fixing Chimney Flashing Yourself
Despite chimney flashing being designed to withstand the elements and last years, or even decades with careful maintenance, it doesn’t last forever. Overtime it can degrade and breakdown, plus it’s vulnerable to the weather, birds, bugs, insects, pests, and more besides.
If your chimney flashing is in need of repair and has seen better days, here are several useful tips for repairing your chimney flashing yourself.
Know What to Look For
To begin with, the first thing you need to do when it comes to your chimney flashing is to know which signs to look for.
The join where your chimney attaches to your home is vulnerable to all manner of different issues. Because of this, it’s the most likely part of your chimney that will degrade and break down. This is why it’s important to know what to look for in terms of damage and weathering.
Look for any visible signs of damage such as discoloration, cracks, rips, and breaks. Look to see if the flashing is still attached or whether it’s starting to come away. If there is a gap, no matter how tiny, it will need to be repaired as it will no longer be waterproof.
Inside your home you can also look for signs of damage. Check for signs of rot or mold, check the firebricks, keep your eyes peeled for gaps in the mortar, and look for water.
Have an Inspection at Least Once Per Year
No matter how great your chimney flashing may be, things can, and do, go wrong from time to time. It’s always best to spot any problems nice and early, and get them taken care of before they get any worse.
Every year, it’s worth hiring a professional and having an annual chimney inspection. This ensures that your chimney, including the flashing is in full working order and is safe and efficient. If there are issues, they will be highlighted during the inspection and you can get them taken care of.
Consider Going with a Three-Piece System
If you’re looking to replace your chimney flashing, you’ll need to understand what is known as a three-piece system.
Basically, this consists of base flashing, step flashing, and counter flashing. This three-layer flashing system provides three different levels of protection and helps to not only waterproof your chimney, but divert water away from the flashing and the chimney itself.
Remove Old Flashing
Some people carrying out a DIY flashing repair will try to save time, and money, by simply fitting new flashing over the old, damaged flashing. This is not recommended.
Before you carry out any repairs, all of the old flashing will need to be removed so you’re essentially working with a blank canvas.
Clean the Surface
Before you begin the repair, once the old flashing has been removed, you’ll need to clean the surface of any mortar, tar, caulk, and debris in general.
The surface needs to be smooth and clean to ensure a watertight seal is achieved.
Choose the Right Materials
Chimney flashing needs to be weather resistant, strong, durable, and long-lasting. This is especially important if you live in a part of the world where you get a lot of rain and poor weather.
If the time has come for you to replace your chimney flashing, it’s important to choose the correct materials. Typically, lead and other sheet metals are used. If your budget will allow it, it’s worth opting for the more expensive materials such as lead and copper. These are renowned for their durability and longevity and are extremely weather-resistant.
Only Carry Out Repairs Yourself If You’re Able
While it can be tempting to carry out any DIY chimney flashing repairs, you should only do so if you’re able to do so.
Chimney flashing repair involves getting up on the roof and requires the right tools and equipment, along with the right amount of skill and expertise. It might not be the most technical repair in the world, but it’s definitely not the easiest either.
If you install the flashing incorrectly, your seal won’t be waterproof and as water gets in, the problem will only get worse.
Understand the Costs Involved
Okay, so we know that a DIY chimney flashing repair is not a simple two-minute job, but at the same time, it’s not the most extensive DIY project you can undertake either.
So, how much does a DIY chimney flashing repair actually cost? Well, we can’t give an exact figure because it depends upon a variety of different factors, but we can give you a rough breakdown.
As of this writing, a professional chimney flashing repair/replacement will cost between $400 – $1.600 on average. If you undertake the repair/replacement yourself, the costs could be considerably lower. On average, it costs between just $100 – $200. That does not factor in things like time, tools required, labor, and problems which may arise.