Chimney & Vent guides

After a Hurricane: What to Check on the Chimney

Two things happen to chimneys in a Florida storm season. Parts leave, and then the roof gets replaced in a hurry around what is left.

A chimney chase with a missing cover after a storm

Short answer

Check four things: that the cap and chase cover are still present and secure, that the flashing at the roof junction is intact, that there is no debris in the flue, and — after the next heavy rain — that the attic around the chimney penetration is dry. An open flue after a storm takes water for weeks before anyone notices, and in this climate it does not dry out.

The four-point check

All of it from the ground with a phone camera, except the last.

Cap and chase cover present

Zoom in on the top. Storm wind puts direct uplift on anything standing proud of a roof, and a cover that was merely resting rather than mechanically fixed is the first thing to go. A missing cover leaves the chase open to rain.

Flashing intact

Look at the joint where the chimney meets the roof for lifted metal, displaced tiles or a gap. On tile roofs, tiles beside the chimney are commonly dislodged even when the flashing itself survived.

Debris in the flue

Palm fronds and vegetation end up in open flues. If the cap is gone, assume something is in there.

The attic after the next real rain

This is the one that needs looking rather than photographing. Check the framing and sheathing immediately around the chimney penetration for staining or damp. A leak that has not yet reached a ceiling is still a leak, and finding it early is the difference between drying it out and replacing sheathing.

The reroof is the bigger risk

This is counterintuitive and it is the more important point.

Storm damage is visible and gets claimed. What follows is mass roof replacement, at volume, by crews working fast — and the chimney is a small detail in a big job. Flashing gets bedded in mortar or smeared with mastic over the joint instead of being stepped and let into a reglet in the masonry. It looks finished on the day.

It then fails within a season or two, and because the water is now getting in under the covering rather than over it, the damage stays hidden until it appears inside.

Check it while the warranty is live

Most roofing work carries a workmanship warranty. Flashing done badly during the replacement is a warranty item rather than a new job, and it is a far easier conversation inside the warranty period than after it. Photograph the detail now.

What to look for

Stepped metal following the roof courses up the side of the chimney, and a second layer let into a cut groove in the masonry above it. A black smear of mastic across the joint is the shortcut.

Specify for the next one

Whatever is replaced should be replaced to survive the next storm rather than the last one.

Stainless rather than galvanized, because salt and Florida humidity take galvanized apart in a few years anyway. Mechanically fixed or clamped rather than friction-fitted, because that is what uplift tests. And a chase cover with a cross-break so water sheds to the edges instead of ponding in the middle.

The labor to fit a good one and a cheap one is identical, which makes the specification the only thing that differs.

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Frequently asked questions

Is chimney damage covered by hurricane insurance?

Wind damage to the structure usually is, subject to the hurricane deductible. Long-term water damage from a leak that was not reported generally is not, which is the argument for checking promptly and documenting it.

How soon should I check?

As soon as it is safe to be outside and look. Photograph everything before anything is touched or repaired.

The roof was replaced and now there is a stain. Whose problem?

Very likely the roofer's, under workmanship warranty, if the flashing was redone as part of the job. Raise it in writing with photographs.