Unpopular opinion: people are way too scared of crown wash

Been seeing a lot of guys in my area just skip the crown wash step entirely. They'll clean the flue, check the cap, and call it a day. Had a call last week in Springfield for a leaky chimney. The homeowner said it was just cleaned. Got up there and the crown was cracked all over, letting water pour straight into the masonry. That's a $1,200 repair they didn't need if the last sweep had just looked. A solid crown wash with the right sealant stops 90% of moisture issues before they start. It takes ten extra minutes. I know it's messy and you have to haul more water up, but skipping it is just lazy. How many of you actually do a full crown inspection and wash on every job?

2 comments

2 Comments

markm272mo ago

Buddy of mine had a customer complain about a damp smell in their living room. The last invoice said the chimney was serviced. He found the crown looked like a dried-up riverbed, full of cracks. All that rain was just running right down into the bricks. Cost the homeowner a pretty penny to fix.

the_robert2mo ago

Wow, @markm27, I always figured a clean flue was the big thing. Stories like this show the outside parts matter just as much... water finds a way in. Now I get why a full check matters.