What Chimney Siding & Chase Repair in Flower Mound Includes
Most chimneys in Flower Mound are not brick. Homes built from the 1990s on in Bridlewood, Wellington, Lakeside DFW and along FM 1171 have a factory-built metal fireplace with a wood-framed chase around the flue, wrapped in siding or stucco to look like a chimney. When that box takes on water, the wood rots. Flower Mound Chimney Sweep Professionals repairs chimney chases and siding in Flower Mound from the roofline to the cap.
A chase repair visit goes like this:
- Find the water. We check the chase cover, the cap, the flashing where the chase meets the roof, and every siding joint and trim piece. A leak at the top shows up as rot low on the chase, so we trace it rather than guess.
- Open the chase. The rotted siding and sheathing come off so we can see the framing and the flue pipe. You get photos of what is inside.
- Rebuild. Soft studs, plates and sheathing are replaced. The flue pipe is checked for rust and the clearances to the framing are restored. New house wrap goes on before new siding.
- Re-side and trim. The chase is re-sided in fiber cement, wood or the material that matches your house, with the trim and corner boards replaced.
- Seal the top. A stainless steel chase cover with a cross-break and a drip edge goes on, with a new storm collar and cap on the flue.
You get before and after photos and a written price before any board comes off.
Why Chases Rot in Flower Mound
- Galvanized chase covers. Builders used thin galvanized covers that rust through in 10 to 15 years. The first sign is a rust streak on the siding below the top.
- Flat covers that hold water. A cover without a cross-break puddles after every rain, and in our humid summers it never dries.
- Hail. Spring hail dents covers and cracks the sealant around the flue collar and the siding nails.
- Failed flashing. Where the chase meets the roof, the step flashing and counter flashing pull loose as the house settles. Water runs under the siding from the bottom.
- Open siding joints. Caulk at the corner boards and trim dries out in 100 degree summers and lets rain into the sheathing.
- No roof overhang. A chase stands out in the weather on all four sides with nothing to shade it or shed water away from it.
Once water is inside, the chase stays wet between storms, and the sheathing and studs soften from the inside. The siding often looks fine until you push on it.
Signs You Need Chimney Chase Repair
- Rust streaks running down the siding from the top of the chase
- Siding that is soft, bowed, cracked or pulling away at the corners
- Peeling paint or dark stains on the chase, worse near the bottom
- A water stain on the ceiling or wall next to the fireplace
- A musty smell from the fireplace after rain
- Daylight or gaps visible at the top of the chase from the roof
- Woodpecker holes or squirrels getting into the chase
- The chase cover is dented, sagging or holding water
Any of these means water is already inside. Catching it at the chase cover stage costs far less than reframing.
What Gets Replaced on a Chase
| Part | Common problem | Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Chase cover | Rusted, flat, holding water | New stainless cover with cross-break and drip edge |
| Storm collar and cap | Loose, missing, rusted | New collar, sealant and stainless cap |
| Siding and trim | Rotted, cracked, pulling loose | Replaced to match the house |
| Sheathing | Soft, delaminated | Cut back to solid wood and replaced |
| Framing | Soft studs and plates | Sistered or replaced, clearances to the flue restored |
| Flashing at the roof | Lifted, rusted, failed sealant | New step and counter flashing |
| Flue pipe | Rust at the joints | Sections replaced to match the fireplace listing |
NFPA 211, the national standard for chimneys and fireplaces, requires the chase around a factory-built flue to keep the clearances the fireplace manufacturer lists. Rotted framing that sags against the pipe breaks that clearance, so the framing repair is a safety fix, not just a cosmetic one.
Chimney Chase Cover Replacement
When the siding is still sound and the only problem is the rusted top, a chimney chase cover replacement is the whole job. We measure the chase, fabricate a stainless cover with a cross-break, and install it with a new storm collar. Doing this before the first rust streak appears is the single cheapest way to keep a chase dry.
Chimney Leak Repair and Flashing Repair
A stain on the ceiling near the fireplace can come from the chase cover, the flashing or the siding, and the fix is different for each. Our chimney leak repair page explains how we find the source, and the chimney flashing repair page covers the step and counter flashing where the chase meets the roof. Every chase repair finishes with a chimney cap installation so rain and animals stay out of the flue.
Chimney Inspection
The chase gets checked on every chimney inspection we do. From the roof we look at the cover, collar, cap and flashing, and from the firebox we check the flue pipe for rust. Catching a dented cover in the fall after hail season means a one-hour fix, not a reframe. Masonry chimneys with cracked crowns and loose brick are covered on our chimney repair page.
Book Chimney Siding & Chase Repair in Flower Mound
Flower Mound Chimney Sweep Professionals is veteran-owned and based on Long Prairie Rd in Flower Mound 75028. We repair chimney chases in Flower Mound, Lewisville, Southlake, Colleyville, Keller, Fort Worth and Collin County, 7 days a week from 7 AM to 8 PM. Call (817) 518-6131 or send the form on this page. Estimates are free and in writing, with photos of the chase before and after. Read what customers say on our reviews page.
