Chimney repair in Yuma AZ - a sound crown and tight joints that shed water
Crumbling mortar, a cracked crown or a stain on the ceiling by the chimney? We find the cause and fix what needs fixing.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does chimney repair involve on a Yuma home?
Chimney repair in Yuma usually comes down to three things: new mortar in worn joints, a repaired or replaced crown on top, and sound flashing where the roof meets the brick, so water stays out of your chimney and your house.
Most people call us when something on the chimney looks off or a stain shows up inside, and they want to know how big a job it is. The cost mostly turns on how many joints need new mortar, whether the crown can be repaired or has to be replaced, and how easy the chimney is to reach on your roof. The schedule turns on that same scope and on whether the city wants a permit first. Small joint repairs work a lot like our tuckpointing, and before I write up your estimate I'll walk the chimney with you and explain what I see.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
Sand or crumbling mortar
If you find gritty sand on the hearth, on the roof or at the base of the chimney, the mortar joints are wearing away and leaving gaps between the bricks. The longer those gaps stay open, the more water gets into the brick, and a job that started as new mortar can turn into loose bricks that have to be reset.
Cracks in the crown
The crown is the concrete cap on top of the chimney, and cracks across it let water run straight down into the brick below. Caught early, a crack can often be repaired, but a crown left to break apart usually has to be replaced.
Stains near the chimney
A brown stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney usually means water is getting in where the roof meets the brick, most often at the flashing, the metal strips that seal that joint. Left alone, that leak soaks drywall and framing, and fixing those costs more than the chimney repair would have.
How we handle chimney repair
I start with the crown and the mortar joints, because those two tell us most of what a chimney needs. I'll show you their condition and explain whether a repair makes sense or it's time for a new crown. Once you decide, we rake out the worn mortar and pack the joints with fresh mortar, which masons call repointing, then repair or rebuild the crown and check the flashing so water runs off the roof instead of into the brick. We clean up as we go, and the last step is walking you through what we did and why.
A chimney rarely wears out by itself. If you've got cracked or flaking brick on the house or yard walls too, our brick repair work replaces the damaged units, and when the joints on your walls are going the same way as the chimney's, tuckpointing brings them back before water gets behind them.
Repointing worn joints
This suits a chimney with solid brick and a sound crown where the mortar is starting to crumble. It's usually the smallest job, and catching it here keeps the bricks from working loose.
Crown crack repair
This suits a crown that's still in one piece with cracks running through it. We fix the cracks with a product made for crowns so the cap keeps shedding water.
New crown
This suits a crown that's broken up or missing chunks, because patching a cap in that shape doesn't hold. We take the old one off down to solid brick and form a new one.
Flashing repair
This suits a chimney where the brick looks fine but water shows up inside near it. We reseal or replace the flashing where it meets the roof, which is where most of those leaks start.
Get a free chimney repair estimate at your home
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, walk the chimney with you and write up a free estimate, with no obligation to book.
(928) 271-5129- Based in
- Yuma, AZ 85364
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about chimney repair in Yuma?
Here's how a chimney job runs from your first call to the last bucket of old mortar off the roof, and who you'll deal with along the way.
Call or send a message
Call (928) 271-5129 or use the form, and we'll set a time to come look. Tell us if you're selling the house, planning a reline or had a chimney fire, because that can change what should happen first.
I walk the chimney with you
I come out myself, look at the crown, joints and flashing with you and explain what I see. Then I write up the estimate, so you know the work and the price before you decide anything.
We take care of permits
If the city wants a permit, we handle the application and inspections and tell you what to expect before work starts. The city's review of residential permits generally takes about 5 work days, and the fee is paid and the permit issued before we begin.
We do the work together
My crew and I do the repair, and I tell you what comes next as each stage wraps up. When we're done, I show you the finished crown and joints.
Why Yuma homeowners call J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry
I walk your chimney myself
On jobs around Yuma, I'm the one who comes out to look and write the estimate, and I'm on the roof with my crew when the work happens. You talk to the same person from the first look to the last joint, so nothing gets lost along the way.
In business since 2013
We've been at this 13 years, and I started out laying block and brick on new homes before moving to repairs on houses people live in. Knowing how a chimney goes together tells me where it tends to come apart.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. Chimney work puts people on your roof, and you shouldn't have to wonder who's responsible up there.
Your satisfaction, guaranteed
That's our promise on chimney work, and it starts with you understanding what we did. I'd rather spend extra time explaining your crown than leave you guessing about it.
A crown crack caught early usually stays a small job, so send us a message or call (928) 271-5129 and I'll come take a look.
Chimney and brick repair around Yuma
The city decides whether a chimney repair needs a permit. The City of Yuma Building Safety Division issues permits and inspections, and its list names new construction, remodels and electrical, mechanical and plumbing work, not chimney repair, so that list doesn't settle it for your job. The division can tell you which work, such as minor repairs, needs no permit, and I'd rather check than guess. When a job does need one, we file it and set up the inspections.
The city also expects job sites kept reasonably clean, with debris hauled off or kept on the lot where wind can't carry it onto neighbors' lots or city streets and sidewalks. So we bag old mortar and broken crown pieces as they come off the roof instead of letting them drop into the yard, and we work the same way on jobs in Somerton and San Luis. On a lot of homes we see, nobody has been up to look at the chimney in years, so a small crown crack has had plenty of time to grow.
Questions about chimney repair in Yuma
How much does chimney repair cost in Yuma?
Common single-issue chimney repairs across the US, such as fixing one problem like a cracked crown or a leaking flashing, usually cost about $160 to $750 per job. That's a national guide, not our price, and your number depends on how much needs work and how hard the chimney is to reach. The estimate I write after walking your chimney gives you the figure for yours.
How do I know if my chimney crown needs replacing?
A crown needs replacing when it's broken into pieces, has large chunks missing or can't hold a coating product, according to chimney industry training material. A crown in that shape gets replaced rather than coated, so its condition sets the size of the job. I'll show you which side of that line yours is on.
What is the best way to fix cracks in a chimney crown?
Not with tar or silicone, because chimney industry material says crack repairs done with sealants like those will fail. It's fair to ask any contractor which product they plan to use on your crown cracks before work starts. I'll tell you what we plan to use and why when I write up the estimate.
Do I need a permit for chimney repair in Yuma?
The city makes that call, because its permit list covers remodels and new construction but doesn't name chimney repair. We check before we start, and if a permit is needed we handle it and allow for the review time in our steps above.
When should I get a chimney inspection before a repair?
Chimney industry guidance recommends a Level 2 inspection when you're selling the house, before lining or relining the chimney, and after a chimney fire, a big storm or an earthquake. That inspection includes going on the roof and checking the chimney from any attic, basement or crawl space you can get into. If you're planning a sale or a reline, book it before any repair so the repair answers what it finds.
What mortar should be used to repoint an old brick chimney?
On an older chimney laid in lime mortar, a hard modern mortar such as Portland cement can do harm, because it can leave the bricks soaking up moisture until they fail. That damage can be structural as well as cosmetic, so ask what mortar will go in before repointing starts. I'll look at your joints and tell you what I see in them.
Related masonry work for your house
Tuckpointing
If the mortar on your house walls is wearing the same way as the chimney's, new joints stop water before it works behind the brick.
Brick repair
Cracked, flaking or loose bricks on a wall, step or planter can be cut out and replaced with close matches, so the damage stops spreading.
Service areas for chimney repair around Yuma
J&L Yuma Concrete and Masonry is based in Yuma, AZ, and we repair chimneys across the cities around it, including Fortuna Foothills and Somerton. The 4 cities below have their own page, and they aren't the only places we work.
Yuma, AZ
Have your chimney crown and joints checked
Our phone is answered every day from 7 AM to 10 PM, so you can call (928) 271-5129 after work and set up a time for me to look at your chimney.