Cracked crown or crumbling brick in Naperville, IL
Naperville winters regularly drop below 0°F, and the top of a masonry chimney takes the worst of it. If the crown is cracked and brick is coming off, water has almost certainly gotten in, frozen and pushed the masonry apart. The crack was probably small at first. Now the brick is letting go.
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This is common here. Illinois has a long heating season, roughly October into April, and the freeze-thaw cycle repeats all winter. Each cycle widens the gaps in the crown and the mortar joints. Wind-driven rain and snow add more water at the crown, flashing and cap. A hairline crack becomes spalled brick, and spalled brick can become a rebuild.
While you wait — please don't
- Stay out from under the chimney. Loose brick can fall without warning, so keep people, pets and cars clear of the ground below the stack.
- Do not climb up to look. A roof in winter ice or loose masonry is a bad place to be, and the technician can inspect it safely.
- Stop using the fireplace until it is checked. Open gaps or a leaning stack are structural problems, and you cannot tell from inside whether the flue is still sound.
- Get outside if anyone feels unwell. If anyone has a headache, dizziness or nausea while a fire is burning or just after, leave the house and call 911.
What the technician does
- You call, we arrange the visitOne Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the work with an independent sweep or mason, who is the contractor, not us.
- The technician inspects the stackThey look at the crown, the brick, the mortar joints and the cap. They check whether this is surface damage or whether the stack has lost structure.
- You get the price before work startsThe estimate is free. The technician gives you the price after inspecting, and nothing begins until you approve it.
- Crown and brick repairDepending on what they find, the crown is repaired or recast with an overhang and a drip edge. Spalled brick is cut out and replaced, and repointing is matched to the existing work.
- Cap fittedA cap goes on to help keep rain and snow out of the flue.
- Rebuild where neededIf the stack has lost structure above the roofline, the technician will explain a rebuild and show you why.
Why this happens in Naperville, IL
Naperville has a small historic core of 19th- and early 20th-century houses downtown, and older homes near the Historic District often have original masonry chimneys. Those commonly need tuckpointing or liner work. The large subdivisions built from the 1970s through the 2000s, such as Cress Creek, White Eagle and Tall Grass, have plenty of masonry and prefabricated chimneys too. A prefabricated chimney is built differently from brick, so the technician will check which type you have before recommending anything.
The seasons shape the work. Demand rises in early fall, when homeowners prepare chimneys before the first hard freeze, and again in spring after winter damage and storms. Northern Illinois also gets thunderstorms, damaging straight-line winds and hail, which can loosen an already weak stack. Masonry rebuilding, tuckpointing and crown repair are often done in the warmer months, because mortar cures better when it is not freezing. If you spot damage in January, get it looked at and ask the technician what can be done now and what should wait for warmer weather.
Questions people ask
- Why does the cold in Naperville damage chimney crowns so badly?
- Water seeps into small cracks, freezes and expands. Naperville has hard freeze-thaw cycling from roughly November through March, and each cycle pushes the crack wider and loosens mortar and brick.
- My house is in an older part of town. Is that a bigger concern?
- Older homes near the historic downtown often have original masonry chimneys that need tuckpointing or liner work. The technician can check the crown, brick and joints together and tell you what the stack needs.
- Will I need a permit?
- In Illinois, permits are issued locally. Relining a chimney or rebuilding it above the roofline commonly needs one, while routine sweeping and basic inspection generally do not. Confirm with the building department before work begins.
- Does the state license chimney masons?
- Illinois does not license chimney sweeping, inspection or masonry repair as a separate trade at the state level. Many municipalities and counties require contractors to register or hold a local licence. You can check with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and the local building department.
- Can I just seal the crack myself?
- A surface patch will not fix brick that is already spalling or a crown that has lost its overhang. Have the technician inspect it first, and ask them to explain in writing what they recommend and why.
One call
Call (866) 576-7943 and One Call Chimney will arrange a technician to look at your chimney. The estimate is free, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.
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Something else in this area
- Never been swept
- Water coming in
- Liner damaged or missing
- Rebuild or new chimney
- Something living up there
- Smells of smoke or damp
- Smoke comes back into the room
- Damper stuck or broken
One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.