Chimney Services in Brick, NJ
Census estimates place about 38% of Brick Township's homes in the 1960s and 1970s, so many of its chimneys are now around 50 years old or more. This page walks through what half a century does to each part of a chimney, from the cap down.
On this page
Chimney profile: Brick
Census estimates for 33,277 housing units (30,289 occupied).
When homes were built
- Before 1940 3%
- 1940–59 18%
- 1960–79 38%
- 1980–99 32%
- 2000 or later 9%
How occupied homes are heated
- Utility gas 82%
- Fuel oil 2%
- Electricity 14%
- Propane 1%
- Wood 0%
- Other or none 1%
Type of housing
- Single-family, detached 78%
- Single-family, attached 11%
- 2–4 units 3%
- 5+ units 8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, tables B25034, B25040 and B25024, via Census Reporter. Estimates have margins of error; small categories are approximate.
What the numbers suggest for chimneys in Brick
About 38% of Brick's 33,277 housing units date from 1960 to 1979, 32% from 1980 to 1999 and 18% from 1940 to 1959, according to Census estimates. A chimney built in the 1960s or 1970s reaches 50 somewhere between 2010 and 2029, and one from the 1980s is closing in on 40. Chimney care by age lays out what tends to come up at each stage.
About 82% of occupied homes heat with utility gas and 14% with electricity. A house that moved from a gas furnace to electric heat may have a flue that now serves only a water heater, or nothing at all; see the orphaned water heater problem and care for an unused fireplace.
About 78% of units are detached houses and 11% are attached. The estimates cover the whole township and cannot tell you the condition of any chimney.
Fifty years, part by part
A chimney does not age evenly. Some parts are made to be renewed, and others are meant to last as long as the house if they stay dry. Working from the top down:
- Cap and damper. Steel parts rust and moving parts warp or stick. A damper that no longer closes or seals is a common reason to look at a top-sealing replacement; see throat dampers vs. top-sealing dampers.
- Crown. The cement cap over the top of the brick takes direct sun, rain and freezing. Cracks let water into the chimney below; crown coating vs. crown rebuild covers the choice.
- Flashing. The seal at the roofline has often been disturbed by one or more reroofs over 50 years; see planning chimney work around a new roof.
- Mortar joints. The National Park Service describes mortar joints as sacrificial, and the Brick Industry Association lists chimneys among the exposed parts of a building that may need repairs at shorter intervals.
- Clay flue tiles. Heat, a past chimney fire or years of acidic condensation from gas exhaust can crack tiles or open their joints, which a camera can show. See what cracked flue tiles mean.
- Brick. Kept dry, brick can outlast everything above. Water getting in is what usually drives flaking and loose brick.
Changes that call for a closer look
CSIA requires a Level 2 inspection whenever the system changes: a new fuel type, relining, or swapping in or adding an appliance of a different type. It also calls for one when a property is sold or transferred, and after a malfunction or an outside event; its examples include building fires, chimney fires and weather events. Over five decades, a house may have been through several of those: a new furnace, a new owner, a hard storm.
Our inspections put a camera into the flue whenever its size and condition permit, which is how the tiles and joints inside an older chimney are seen. Chimney inspection levels 1, 2 and 3 explains the differences, and our chimney inspection page describes the visit and the photo report you receive.
Local questions
Our chimney is about 50 years old. Does it need rebuilding?
Age alone does not decide that. Work on the parts that wear, such as a new crown, cap, damper, flashing or repointing, often addresses the problem while the rest of the chimney stays. An inspection shows which parts need attention.
How often should an older chimney be inspected?
The NFPA 211 standard, as summarized by CSIA, asks that chimneys, fireplaces and vents get an inspection every year. A change of appliance or fuel, or a home sale, calls for a Level 2 inspection.
Can a 1970s clay tile flue serve a new gas furnace?
Sometimes. The new appliance's installation instructions set the venting it needs, and an older clay flue can be too large or damaged for it. A liner sized to the appliance is the usual remedy, and checking the chimney before installation answers the question for your house.
Our furnace was replaced by electric heat. Does the unused flue need attention?
Yes, as long as the chimney is still there. CSIA notes that unused chimneys can collect animal nests and deteriorate in other ways, so they still need inspection, and the top still needs a working cap and crown to keep water out.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25034, B25040, B25024), via Census Reporter
- Chimney Safety Institute of America: The Three Levels of Chimney Inspections
- Chimney Safety Institute of America: Frequently Asked Questions
- National Park Service, Preservation Brief 2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings (PDF)
- Brick Industry Association, Technical Note 46: Maintenance of Brick Masonry (PDF)
Related
Chimney Inspection
An inspection answers one question: is this chimney in a condition to keep doing its job? The depth of the inspection…
GuideChimney Care by Age: Years 1 to 50
Every chimney, of any age, should be inspected once a year, which is what NFPA 211 calls for according to CSIA. Beyond…
GuideChimney inspection levels 1, 2 and 3
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), explaining NFPA 211, describes three inspection levels. Level 1 covers…
ServiceChimney Repair
Most people don't know the name of the part that's failing. They know what they saw: a stain, flaking brick, rust in…
GuideWhat cracked flue tiles mean
Cracked flue tiles mean the liner may no longer fully contain heat, smoke and combustion gases, so they can reach the…