South Jordan · Salt Lake County
Chimney and Chase Repairs Across South Jordan
Stand on a South Jordan street and count the chimneys. Most of what you are looking at is not a masonry stack. It is a timber-framed box clad in siding, stucco or a thin skin of stone, with a metal flue running up the middle of it.
Why that distinction changes everything
A solid masonry chimney fails slowly and visibly. Mortar erodes, brick faces spall, and you can watch it happen over years. A framed chase fails invisibly and much faster, because the thing keeping water out is not the veneer at all. It is a sheet metal lid at the top called a chase cover, plus the flashing where the chase meets the roof, plus the caulk joints around the storm collar. Any one of those can let water into a timber structure that has no ability to shed it.
The chase cover is the part nobody looks at
A great many chase covers were built from galvanized steel and installed flat or nearly flat. Flat means water ponds. Ponded water on galvanized steel finds the seams and the fastener holes, and within ten to fifteen years there is rust, then pinholes, then a steady drip landing on the top plate of the chase. The homeowner sees nothing at all until a stain appears on a bedroom ceiling or the stucco below the chimney starts blistering, by which point the framing above it has been wet for several seasons.
The fix is a replacement cover in stainless steel, cross-broken so the surface slopes and drains, with a proper drip edge over the sides and a correctly sized collar around the flue. It is a straightforward job on a sound chase and a much larger one if the framing underneath has already gone soft, which is the argument for looking before the ceiling tells you.
Stucco, veneer and the flat valley wind
South Jordan sits on open valley ground with no terrain to break the wind, and a chase standing above a roofline takes weather from every direction with nothing sheltering it. On stucco chases we look hard at hairline cracking at the corners and below the cover, since those are the entry points that let wind-driven rain behind the finish. On stone veneer we check the joints and the bottom termination, because veneer is a facing rather than a barrier and the water that gets past it needs a way out again. Where the damage has reached the sheathing, we open it up and repair the structure rather than skinning over it, which is the only version of that repair that lasts.
Questions
Chimney Repair in South Jordan — common questions
There are rust streaks running down the stucco below our chimney. What causes that?
Almost always a corroding galvanized chase cover. The rust washes off the lid and stains whatever is below it. The staining is cosmetic, but it means the cover has been failing for a while and water is likely getting into the chase, so it is worth looking at promptly.
Can you just paint or seal the existing chase cover?
We would rather not, and we will say why. Coating a cover that is already pitted buys a year or two and hides the ongoing corrosion at the seams. A stainless replacement built with a slope and a drip edge solves the actual problem, and it is not much more than doing the cheap fix twice.
Our chimney chase leans slightly. Is that serious?
It needs looking at. A framed chase is attached to the house, and movement usually points to either water damage in the framing or a footing issue at the base. We inspect the structure and the fasteners before recommending anything, because the cause dictates the repair entirely.
Is any of this covered by our builder warranty?
On a newer home it sometimes is, particularly flashing and workmanship defects, and it is worth checking your documents before commissioning work. On homes past the warranty period it will not be, but a photographic report from us is still useful if you are raising it with anyone.
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Chimney Sweep Inspection Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All South Jordan services
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