How To Fix A Roof Leak Around A Chimney

Anything that pokes through your roof is a potential site for water leaks when it rains.

Therefore a roof leak around a chimney is one of the most likely problems to occur up there.

Here in Britain it rains a considerable percentage of the time so there’s plenty of opportunity for rainwater to penetrate into the living areas where it interferes with the occupants’ comfort and enjoyment of the property.

It also gets into the structure of the building. There its presence may be less obvious but is potentially more serious as the water sits there insidiously causing damage to the house’s vital parts. 

The question is: How to fix a leak around a chimney?

It may well be that the first clue you spot that something is amiss will be visible signs of damp on the ceiling  near a fireplace.

Having indicated why,  a leaking joint between roof and chimney calls for fairly urgent attention, the next thing to consider is how you are going to deal with the problem.

Knowing that roof repairs tend to be expensive, your first reaction may well be a mild panic! Who can blame you?

Once you’ve got over that you’ll start thinking rationally again. Consider your options. You really only have two so that shouldn’t take too long.

The options are:

Call in a local roofer or secondly,

do the job yourself and save a great deal of money; after all, how hard can it be? 

Assuming you’re a seasoned do-it-yourself practitioner and you’re determined to go for it there are a few things you will need:

Some tough work gloves,

A wire brush for cleaning away old sealant,

A supply of new sealant in a cartridge gun,

Sufficient new flashing and a trimming knife. That’s a Stanley knife to most of us!

You’ll need your garden hose too for testing the new joint when you think you’ve finished. 

Those are the tools you’ll need to actually carry out the repair but first, you need to get up onto the apex of the roof.

For that you’ll need the appropriate safe access equipment. That may involve a scaffold tower and roof ladders but not all sites are the same so it’s hard to be specific.

You will probably need to hire the right kind of equipment.

One other thing you will need is a good head for heights. If that’s not you then best forget it, put your hand in your pocket and pay for a professional. 

At this stage it’s not a bad idea to get quotes from local roofing contractors. Try to choose roofers who come recommended by friends who are previous customers of the firms.

When you compare the cost of hiring in the equipment you’ll need to work with any degree of safety with the quotes you get you may find that what you save by attempting the job yourself is considerably less than you thought it would be.

How much is your life worth? Working at heights is dangerous and best left to professionals

If you live in London and the South East of England and need expert roof repairs call Sam’s Gutters on 0800 0789 151