Chimney
Hi Kathy,
I am sorry for your troubles. While it is nice of your current contractor to not charge you, it is also pretty obvious that they are in over their head. Also, it is not just the type of materials you use, it is how they use them.
One thing is obvious: This chimney was never flashed right in the first place.
The original mason should have set sheet lead counter-flashing in the mortar joints of the chimney when he laid it up. The reason I say lead is because you need the malleability of this material when using field stone, because you are not working with straight mortar joints like you are with brick masonry. The counter-flashing skirts down over the vertical leg of the base flashing, which is installed by the roofing contractor. The base flashing is basically metal broken in an L shape, with the lower portion attached to the roof deck only. It is best made of Lead coated copper, but copper can also be used. Lead coated is good because you don't get green streaks from copper oxide.
The reason that the base flashing cannot be directly attached to the counter flashing is because the chimney has to move independently of the roof deck. When you start a fire, the chimney expands.
You have given us very little information to go on. I can help you, but you need to offer the following:
1. Roof Type (Slate, Asphalt Shingle, etc)
2. Location of chimney: (Ridge, Valley, Gable end, etc)
Pictures: Upload some pictures of your chimney.
I suspect that your condition will require some pretty extensive work to fix properly, but you are of the age (I am 66) where you understand that you don't get anything done right nowadays cheap.
Hi Kathy,
I am sorry for your troubles. While it is nice of your current contractor to not charge you, it is also pretty obvious that they are in over their head. Also, it is not just the type of materials you use, it is how they use them.
One thing is obvious: This chimney was never flashed right in the first place.
The original mason should have set sheet lead counter-flashing in the mortar joints of the chimney when he laid it up. The reason I say lead is because you need the malleability of this material when using field stone, because you are not working with straight mortar joints like you are with brick masonry. The counter-flashing skirts down over the vertical leg of the base flashing, which is installed by the roofing contractor. The base flashing is basically metal broken in an L shape, with the lower portion attached to the roof deck only. It is best made of Lead coated copper, but copper can also be used. Lead coated is good because you don't get green streaks from copper oxide.
The reason that the base flashing cannot be directly attached to the counter flashing is because the chimney has to move independently of the roof deck. When you start a fire, the chimney expands.
You have given us very little information to go on. I can help you, but you need to offer the following:
1. Roof Type (Slate, Asphalt Shingle, etc)
2. Location of chimney: (Ridge, Valley, Gable end, etc)
Pictures: Upload some pictures of your chimney.
I suspect that your condition will require some pretty extensive work to fix properly, but you are of the age (I am 66) where you understand that you don't get anything done right nowadays cheap.