Does Your Chimney Play Cricket?
If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times: Nothing can replace a good home inspection! There is so much that needs to be checked and so many things that most of us know little or nothing about!
Ever heard of a chimney cricket? Does your chimney have one? If it is at the bottom of a sloping roof and 30" wide or more it should have one. In my opinion, even if it is less than 30" wide it should have at least a small one.
What's a cricket? This is a cricket. It is a small, angled roof structure behind a chimney.
Why have one? So that rain water rushing down the roof doesn't smash into the backside of the chimney.
The cricket's intention is to divert such fast-flowing water around the chimney. Even with well-placed and high flashing water can sometimes get into the interior.
The cricket helps avoid that.
I ran across this terrific cricket on a recent inspection. It is high and well flashed. There is step flashing under each shingle and the attached, layered, brown counter flashing over the top. And it diverts the water all the way to the edge of the chimney on both sides. There are no stains inside.
And it is working! See any staining on the bricks near the gutter? I don't either. And the gutter is inclined to carry the water to the downspout. What a concept!
My recommendation: if you see a brick chimney at the bottom of a sloped roof, see if you can get off to the side to determine if there is a cricket. In this case, a house that has crickets is good! Do you know where your cricket is?
Jay Markanich Real Estate Inspections, LLC
Based in Bristow, serving all of Northern Virginia
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