Chimney Services in Franklin Lakes, NJ

What the numbers suggest for chimneys in Franklin Lakes

Franklin Lakes' housing is relatively new. Census estimates place about 34% of its 3,878 housing units in buildings from 1960 to 1979, 27% from 1980 to 1999 and 27% from 2000 or later. Only about 2% predate 1940. Houses from these decades may have a masonry chimney or a factory-built fireplace in a framed chase, and the Census does not record which; our guide to masonry and factory-built chimneys shows how to tell.

About 88% of units are detached houses. Utility gas heats about 90% of occupied homes, with electricity at about 9% and fuel oil near 1%.

Newer construction does not make a chimney leak-proof. Any chimney that passes through a roof has a crown or chase top, walls and a roof joint exposed to weather, and on larger houses chimneys can be wide, tall or set where roof planes meet. Each of those features is a possible entry point.

Where water gets in, from the top down

• The flue opening: an uncapped flue lets rain fall straight down. See chimney caps.
• The crown or chase top: Masonry Magazine notes that simple mortar crowns usually crack from shrinkage soon after they are built. On a framed chase, a rusted or flat metal cover can pond water.
• The walls: the same article lists separating cracks between brick and mortar and small voids in the joints as places water enters.
• The roof joint: step flashing and counterflashing, plus a cricket on the uphill side of a wide chimney.
• Somewhere that only looks like the chimney: a nearby skylight, vent or valley can send water along the framing to the chimney wall.

More than one of these can leak at once, which is why fixing the first source found does not always end the problem.

A test sequence that isolates the source

1. Write down when it leaks.Every rain, only in storms from one direction, or only after snow? Storms from one side point toward walls and flashing on that side; see wind-driven rain. Leaks after snow can involve ice dams.
2. Note where the water shows.Ceiling beside the chimney, the firebox, the damper area or the attic each narrow the list in a different way. Water on the firebox floor tends to point higher up the chimney than a stain on the ceiling beside it.
3. Look from the attic and roof where safe.We check the attic side of the chimney and the roof when it is safe and accessible, looking for wet framing, stains and daylight.
4. Run controlled water tests.When the source is unclear, we wet one area at a time. Testing usually begins low, at the roof joint, and moves upward, so water from a higher zone cannot run down and confuse the result.
5. Repair the confirmed source.Only then choose between flashing repair, crown work, masonry repair or a chase cover.

Before any repair is booked, the findings come to you with photos. Our guide why is my chimney leaking? covers the causes in more depth.

Local questions

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B25034, B25040, B25024), via Census Reporter
2. Masonry Magazine (MCAA): Masonry Chimney Checklist for Weather Resistance