It Only Leaks When It Really Rains
A couple in a two-story home off Green Oaks Boulevard noticed a brown ring on the ceiling next to the fireplace after a spring storm. A drizzle never did it. A wind-driven Texas downpour did it every time. That pattern is the most common chimney leak call we get, and it almost always points to the roof line. That is why chimney flashing repair in Arlington, TX is one of the repairs our crew does most in spring.
Crownline Chimney Sweep traces chimney leaks and repairs chimney flashing in Arlington. We do not start with caulk. We find where the water gets in, show you the photos, and give you a free written estimate for the repair that fixes it. Flashing, crown, cap or brick: you pay to fix the real problem once.
Where Chimney Leaks Really Come From
Flashing gets blamed for every chimney leak, and it deserves about half the blame. On Arlington chimneys we find water coming in at four places, often more than one at a time:
- Flashing. The metal where the chimney meets the roof. Step flashing rusts, counter flashing pulls out of the mortar joint, and sealant dries out in the sun. Wind-driven rain goes right under it.
- Crown. The slab on top of the chimney cracks from clay soil movement and heat. Water runs through the cracks into the brick and the flue. See our chimney crown repair page.
- Cap. A missing or rusted cap lets rain straight down the flue. The water shows up as a damp firebox, a rusty damper and a smell after rain.
- Brick and mortar. Old brick is a sponge. Once the mortar joints wash out, a chimney can soak up water on the outside and release it inside days later.
On factory-built fireplaces in Southwest Arlington, the leak is usually the metal chase cover on top of the sided chase, not the flashing. We check that too, because chimney and fireplace leaks on those homes rarely involve flashing at all.
A good leak inspection looks at all four from the roof and follows the water path from the attic down. The right repair depends on which one is leaking, and a homeowner who pays for flashing when the crown is the problem pays twice. Fixing the flashing on a chimney that is leaking through the crown just moves the stain.
How Chimney Flashing Works, and How It Fails
Flashing is two layers of metal that overlap. Step flashing is woven into the shingles along the side of the chimney, one piece per row. Counter flashing is cut into the mortar joints of the brick and bent down over the step flashing. Water runs over the counter flashing, onto the step flashing, and out onto the roof. On the uphill side, a wide chimney should have a cricket, a small peaked roof that splits the water around the chimney instead of letting it pool.
It fails three ways in North Texas. Clay soil movement opens the joint between the brick and the roof a little more each year, and rigid flashing cannot follow it. Summer heat dries the sealant until it cracks. And roof replacements after hail season are a big one: the new shingles go on, the old counter flashing gets reused or just caulked to the brick, and the first real storm finds the gap. A lot of Arlington roofs have been replaced after recent hail seasons, and we are still fixing flashing from those jobs.
Signs Your Chimney Flashing Needs Repair
- A water stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, usually on the uphill side.
- Water or stains in the attic along the chimney after heavy rain.
- Rust streaks on the roof below the chimney, or rusted flashing you can see from the ground.
- Caulk or tar smeared along the base of the chimney from an earlier patch.
- Loose, lifted or missing pieces of metal at the chimney base after a wind storm.
- Peeling paint or soft drywall near the fireplace upstairs.
Water travels. A stain ten feet from the chimney can still be a flashing leak that ran down a rafter. Do not let a contractor diagnose it from the ground.
What Our Chimney Leak and Flashing Repair Includes
- Leak inspection with photos. We inspect the flashing, crown, cap, brick, mortar joints and chase cover from the roof, and check the attic and firebox for the water path. You get the photos and a plain answer on where the water gets in.
- Written price. A free itemized estimate for the repair that fixes the source. If the crown or cap is the problem, we say so instead of selling flashing.
- Remove the failed flashing. Old step and counter flashing, failed sealant and lifted shingles come off.
- New step flashing. Woven in with each shingle course, fastened to the roof deck, never just to the chimney.
- New counter flashing. Cut into the mortar joint, bent over the step flashing and sealed. Not surface-caulked to the brick.
- Cricket. Built on the uphill side of wide chimneys so water goes around instead of behind.
- Reset and seal. Shingles reset, fasteners sealed, and after photos sent to you.
If the inspection finds the brick soaking up water, we recommend chimney waterproofing as a separate line so the repair holds. If the cap is missing or rusted through, chimney cap installation goes on the same estimate. A full chimney leak fix is usually two or three of these together, listed separately so you can keep your chimney dry without paying for work it does not need.
What Chimney Flashing Repair Costs in Arlington
A CBS News Texas report on DFW chimney leaks quoted a local installer at $1,500 to $2,500 for a full flashing replacement, depending on the home, and up to $500 for resealing (CBS News Texas). Texas roofing cost guides list flashing repair from $150 to $1,500, with chimney flashing at the top of that range. That is the typical DFW range.
What moves the price:
| Factor | Lower cost | Higher cost |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Reseal or one side | Full step and counter flashing, all four sides |
| Cricket | Already there | Built new |
| Roof | One story, low pitch, shingles | Two stories, steep pitch, tile or metal |
| Brick | Sound mortar joints | Joints need tuckpointing before counter flashing |
| Other leaks | Flashing only | Crown or cap repair at the same time |
Crownline inspects first and quotes in writing after. Estimates are free, seniors, veterans and first responders get 10% off, and we match a written quote from an insured company for the same scope. One discount per job.
Spring Hail, Storms and Insurance Claims
Tarrant County hail season runs March through June, and it is hard on chimneys. Hail cracks crowns, dents caps and chase covers, and wind lifts counter flashing out of the mortar. Storm damage like that is often covered by homeowners insurance; slow wear from old sealant usually is not. The difference is proof. Our leak report includes dated photos from the roof, which is what adjusters ask for. The Texas Department of Insurance publishes plain guidance on storm claims. Call your agent first, then call us for the inspection and the photos.
Why Arlington Homeowners Call Crownline for Chimney Leaks
Crownline Chimney Sweep is a local, professional chimney company offering fireplace and chimney services in Arlington from 700 Highlander Blvd near the Parks Mall and I-20. Our crew has worked on Arlington roofs and chimneys throughout Arlington for more than 20 years, from the 1950s brick chimneys around UTA and Fielder Park to the sided chases in Southwest Arlington and the newer homes in Viridian. We are insured and bonded, which matters on roof work.
What you get on a leak call with us:
- The leak traced to the flashing, crown, cap, brick or chase cover before anything is sold.
- A free estimate and a written price before work.
- Counter flashing cut into the mortar joint, the way it should be done, not caulked to the face of the brick.
- Dated photos from the roof for your records or your claim.
- A crew that also repairs the crown, cap and brick, so one visit covers the whole top of the chimney.
That is the proof behind calling ourselves the best chimney company in Arlington, and it is how we are earning the title of the local chimney company Arlington homeowners trust.
Our Service Area for Chimney Leak Repair Near Arlington
Crownline is proudly serving Arlington TX and the nearby areas on the Fort Worth side of the DFW metroplex: ZIP codes 76001, 76006, 76010, 76012, 76013, 76016, 76017 and 76018, from the masonry chimneys of Central Arlington near UTA and East Arlington near AT&T Stadium to South Arlington, Lake Arlington, North Arlington, Viridian, Pantego and Dalworthington Gardens. Our technician crew works out of the Highlander Blvd office, so a leak call in Arlington is a short drive, not a trip from the far side of the DFW area. Whatever your chimney needs, a dry, safe chimney is the goal.
The type of chimney changes the repair project. A masonry chimney leaks through the flashing, the crown, the mortar joints or a cracked flue liner, and the fix is flashing work plus masonry repair. A factory-built chimney with a sided chase leaks through the chase cover or the siding, and the fix is sheet metal and carpentry. We work on both, and an inspection of the chimney, a chimney inspection with a camera look inside the chimney, tells us which problem you have. Water damage inside the flue, such as a rusted damper or cracked tiles, often points to a crown or cap leak rather than flashing, and a chimney fire can leave the same cracked tiles behind, so we check for both.
Leak repair is one of the chimney repair services Crownline provides in Arlington, TX. Our chimney sweep services and the annual chimney inspection are the chimney care that catches a leak early; most Arlington homeowners schedule an appointment for the sweep in October and have us look at the flashing then. Chimney repair costs in Arlington stay low for TX homeowners when the leak is caught at the first stain instead of after the drywall fails. If the water turns out to be coming down the flue instead of around it, a new chimney cap is often the fix. Call (817) 505-4222 or request a free estimate below, and we will find the leak before the next storm finds your ceiling.
Below are the frequently asked questions Arlington homeowners send us about chimney leaks and flashing. If yours is not here, call and a real person at our Arlington office will answer it.