Found a cracked crown in a 90 year old chimney in Philly

Was doing a sweep on a row house last Tuesday and spotted a hairline crack in the terra cotta crown that I almost missed. Took a wire brush to it and the whole top section crumbled out, ended up rebuilding it with a cast-in-place kit instead of patching. Anyone else run into hidden crown damage that looked fine from the ground?

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logan_thomas8710d ago

Honestly, that "looked fine from the ground" part is what gets me every time. From the street, you see a solid cap, but up close it's basically dust holding the shape. Did you find any water staining on the flue tiles behind the crown, or was it just the crack that tipped you off? I've seen those hairline ones hide a ton of moisture that wicked down into the brick, and then you're not just rebuilding the crown, you're repointing half the stack. Curious if the cast-in-place kit handled the overhang okay, or if you had to form it up twice to get the drip edge right.