Chimney repair in Perris CA - stop the leaks and make old brick safer in a quake
Water stains by the fireplace or crumbling brick up top? We find where the water gets in, fix it, and talk through quake safety.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does chimney repair involve on a Perris house?
Chimney repair in Perris mostly means stopping water from getting inside the chimney with flashing and sealant at the crown, the base and the spot where it meets the roof. On an older brick chimney, it's also the time to decide whether to make it safer in a quake.
Most calls start with a stain on the ceiling by the fireplace or a crumbling crown someone spots from the yard. The price comes down to how much is really wrong, whether that's a bad seal, failed flashing or a top that has to come down and go back up, and how hard the chimney is to reach on your roof. The schedule turns on those same things, plus what we find once the old mortar and flashing are opened up, and your estimate is where you get the figure for your chimney. If the rest of the house's brick is showing its age too, we can look at masonry restoration while we're there.
How do you know your chimney needs repair?
Water stains by the fireplace
A brown ring on the ceiling or a damp patch on the wall beside the chimney usually means water is getting past the crown, the flashing or the base. Every rain after that soaks a little more of the wood framing around the chimney, so this one is worth a look soon.
Cracked crown on top
The crown is the concrete or mortar cap around the flue, and hairline cracks there are easy to miss from the ground. Once it cracks, water runs down inside the chimney, and a small sealing job can turn into rebuilding the crown if it's left too long.
Sandy or missing mortar
If you can rub mortar out of the joints with a finger or see gaps between bricks, the joints have worn out. A few bad joints can wait a little while, but once bricks start loosening, the repair grows from repointing to relaying brick.
Loose brick near the top
Bricks that rock, shift or have already fallen near the top of the chimney usually mean the mortar has let go up there. That part of the chimney is the most likely to come down in a strong shake, so it shouldn't wait.
How we handle chimney repair
We start by tracking down where the water's getting in, because painting over the stain inside does nothing if the crown is cracked or the flashing at the roof line has lifted. I check the crown on top, the base and the spot where the chimney meets the roof, and then we fix what we find, whether that's resealing, new flashing or rebuilding a section. On an older brick chimney we also talk through whether to reinforce it or rebuild the top so it's safer in a quake, since that's easier to decide while we're already up there.
Chimney repair often leads into the rest of the brick. If the joints are worn but the bricks are sound, tuckpointing cuts out the old mortar and packs in fresh, and if the bricks themselves are cracked or flaking, brick repair replaces them with ones that match.
Crown repair
This suits a chimney where the cap on top is cracked or worn but the brick below is still solid. We seal small cracks, and we replace the crown when it's too far gone to hold a seal.
Flashing and sealing at the roof
This suits leaks that show up by the fireplace after a rain, when the metal where the chimney meets the roof has lifted or rusted through. New flashing tied properly into the brick is usually the fix.
Rebuilding the top
This suits a chimney with loose or crumbling brick up high. We take it down to solid brick and lay it back up, and it's the choice I lean toward when the top is already coming apart.
Reinforcing an older chimney
This suits an older brick chimney that's still in fair shape, where you'd like to keep the old masonry. We go over it side by side with a top rebuild so you can pick knowing what each one involves.
Get a chimney repair estimate from someone who'll actually look up top
We reply within one business day to set up a visit. I come out, look the chimney over and write up a free estimate, and there's no obligation to go ahead with it.
- Based in
- Perris, CA 92571
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens after you call about your chimney
From your first call to the last walk-around, here's how a chimney job runs with us and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send us a note
Call (951) 418-3037 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for a visit. Tell us roughly where you've seen water so I know where to start.
I come out and look
I look over the crown, the base and the roof line, answer your questions and write up an estimate. You have the work and the price in writing before anything starts, so you're not guessing at the cost.
Our crew does the repair
If you go ahead, our crew does the work with me there. If opening it up shows more than we expected, I'll walk you through it before we go further.
Walk the finished chimney together
When the work's done, we walk it with you and go over what we did and why. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
Why Perris homeowners call Superior Perris Concrete and Masonry for chimney work
I look and I stay on it
I come out to look at your chimney and give the estimate myself, and I'm on the job with our crew when the work gets done. The person who figured out where your leak starts is the one standing there when it's opened up.
Repairs that match the old brick
We've been doing brick and block work since 2017, and we're known for repairs that blend in with the old work. We match mortar color and brick as closely as we can so your chimney doesn't look patched from the street.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. That matters more on a chimney than most jobs, because the work happens up on your roof and right against the house.
Based right here in Perris
We're based in Perris and work in the cities around it across this part of Riverside County. Coming out to look at your chimney is a short trip for us, not a special run.
If you've seen water inside or the top of your chimney looks rough, call or send us a note and I'll come out and take a look.
Chimney repair and fireplace use in Perris
Here, the South Coast AQMD, our regional air district, sets the rules on how a repaired chimney gets used. Its wood-burning rule requires households to stop burning wood on No-Burn days during the season that runs from the beginning of November through the end of February, and that holds no matter how new the repair is. The district has also proposed a change that would allow wood-burning fireplaces and stoves damaged or destroyed in a natural disaster to be rebuilt, but it's only a proposal so far, so don't plan a rebuild around it until the district says otherwise.
On jobs around here we see plenty of older brick chimneys on houses that have had newer roofs put on around them, and the trouble usually shows up where the brick meets the roof or at a crown that's been baking in the sun for years. We see the same thing on jobs in Menifee and Moreno Valley, which is why I check those two spots first.
Questions about chimney repair in Perris
How much does chimney repair cost near Perris?
Chimney repair in the Riverside area usually costs about $600 to $7,500 per project. Resealing a crown or replacing flashing usually sits toward the low end, while rebuilding the top or a quake retrofit runs toward the high end. Your on-site estimate gives you the figure for your chimney.
Can my chimney fall in an earthquake?
Yes, an unreinforced masonry chimney can fall in an earthquake, either outside onto the yard and walkways or into the house, which puts people in both places at risk. FEMA says a retrofit minimizes the risk of earthquake damage, so if yours is older brick, it makes sense to plan one alongside any repairs.
How do I make an old brick chimney safer in an earthquake?
FEMA's retrofit plans range from capping the chimney at the roof or ceiling to replacing the firebox and chimney with a factory-built insert and a metal flue. The options in between replace the chimney above the shoulder, the spot where the wide firebox section steps in to the narrower flue, so you choose how much of the old masonry to keep.
What causes a chimney to leak?
Most chimney leaks start at the base, where the chimney meets the roof, or at the crown on top, and the crown is the one owners most often overlook. Water that gets past it runs into the gap between the chimney wall and the flue liner, so a full repair includes sealing the crown. If you're comparing bids, ask what flashing they'll use, because masonry trade guidance says aluminum shouldn't be used in brick masonry since the alkalis in fresh mortar attack it.
Who should I hire to repair a brick chimney in California?
Hire a contractor who holds the right state license for masonry work. California's Contractors State License Board issues the C-29 Masonry Contractor license to contractors who install brick and other baked clay products, stone, and fire brick for refractory work. It's fair to ask any contractor which license they hold before you sign.
Does a chimney need to be cleaned before a new liner goes in?
One liner maker recommends having a certified chimney sweep clean the chimney before a new liner goes in. The same maker notes that chimneys are usually very sooty and dusty, so move or cover the furniture and rugs near the fireplace before cleaning or liner work starts.
Related brick work that often comes with chimney repair
Tuckpointing
When the mortar between your bricks has gone sandy or recessed, tuckpointing replaces it with fresh joints before water starts working its way behind the face.
Brick repair
If bricks on your chimney, walls or steps are cracked, flaking or loose, brick repair swaps out the bad ones with brick that matches the rest.
Service areas for chimney and masonry work
Superior Perris Concrete and Masonry is based in Perris, CA, and does chimney and masonry work in the cities around it, including Murrieta and Lake Elsinore. These are the 12 service areas with their own page on this site, and we work in other nearby cities too.
Have us find where your chimney leaks
Tell us what your chimney is made of, where you've seen water and how often you burn wood, so I come out ready to check the right spots.