One of the most vulnerable areas of your Alpharetta home is your chimney chase. Often, our team at Echols Home Improvements is called in by one of our clients to repair the chimney chase: the box-like structure which contains your home’s chimney, from the foundation up past your roof.
Your Chimney Chase
A chimney chase is a tall, narrow space occupied by chimney pipe running from a fireplace up alongside your home, and through your roof. It must be high enough to protect the pipe in accordance with Alpharetta building codes. It must be finished properly inside and out.
The chase that boxes your chimney is deceptively simple, but only proper construction and thorough planning can ensure a structure that:
- Safely holds the chimney pipe
- Supports the exterior finish
- Requires no external bracing
- Decreases fire risk
- Improves fireplace draft
- Prevents pest and water infiltration
What is a Sub-standard Chimney Chase?
Too often, we see homes with a chimney chase that appears to be an afterthought. Common errors that can affect the integrity—and property value—of your home, can include:
- Undersized chase pan
- An insufficient pitch of chase pan
- Lack of fire blocking
- Poorly installed flashing
- Weak framing for the exterior load
- Water infiltration behind the siding
Any one problem with a chimney chase can lead to fire risk. If the metal chimney pipe is not properly installed, heat build-up inside the uninsulated chimney chase can cause a chimney fire. Birds or rodents can also nest inside the chase, and their nesting materials can burn easily.
Your Options
Our siding team at Echols Home Improvements is trained and equipped to diagnose and repair chimney chase deficiencies. Our unique combination of skills in roofing, siding, and carpentry permit us to give you a quality, lifetime, maintenance-free roof chase. A typical roof chase replacement with a synthetic product is around $3200.
You should make no attempt to inspect your chimney chase—a rooftop is a dangerous territory for homeowners. Instead, whether you live in Alpharetta, Marietta, or any town in our service area, contact us at Echols, and we can set up a complete inspection and provide you with a detailed estimate.