Chimney Repairs in Ely

Why chimneys fail on Fenland homes

Around Ely the land is flat and open, so there is little to break the wind. Rain is driven hard against the exposed faces of a chimney stack, soaking into brickwork and mortar joints. In winter that moisture freezes and expands, and over the years frost slowly breaks down soft old mortar and the faces of older bricks.

The top of the stack suffers most. The flaunching, the sloped mortar cap that holds the pots and throws water off, cracks with age and lets water straight down into the brickwork. Where the chimney meets the roof, flashing that has split, slipped or been sealed with mastic instead of being properly chased in lets water run down inside the roof. Many period homes in Ely and the villages still have their original chimneys, and many have never had more than a patch repair.

Signs your chimney needs attention

Damp patches on chimney breasts, upstairs or down, are one of the most common signs, especially after heavy rain. Outside, look for crumbling or missing mortar joints, cracked or broken flaunching, bricks that are flaking or spalling, and pots that are loose or leaning. A stack that visibly leans is a more serious concern and should be checked without delay.

Pieces of mortar or brick in the gutter or on the ground, staining on the roof below the chimney, and lead flashing that has lifted or come away are all worth getting looked at. Caught early, most chimney problems are straightforward to put right.

Repointing, flaunching and rebuilds

Where the brickwork is sound but the joints are worn, repointing is usually enough. We rake out the old mortar to a proper depth and repoint with a mortar suited to the brick, so the stack can shed water and handle frost again.

Cracked flaunching is replaced with a new mortar cap that holds the pots firmly and sheds water away from the stack. Pots that are cracked or loose can be reset or replaced, and cowls or caps can be fitted to keep rain and birds out of flues that are no longer in use.

When the top courses of brick have failed, or the stack has started to lean, a partial rebuild is often the right answer. We take the chimney down to sound brickwork and rebuild it, matching the brick and the look of the original as closely as possible. Our main chimney repairs page covers this work in more detail.

Lead flashing, chased in properly

Many chimney leaks have nothing to do with the brickwork at all. They come from the flashing where the stack meets the roof. We are leadwork specialists, and we renew chimney flashing in lead, with step flashings and a back gutter where needed, chased into the mortar joints and dressed by hand to the roof. That gives a watertight detail that should last for decades, rather than a mastic seal that fails in a few years.

You can read more about our lead flashing on our leadwork in Ely and specialist leadwork pages, and about how long lead should last in our guide: how long does lead flashing last?

Remove an unused stack, or repair it?

If a chimney is no longer used, it can be tempting to take it away rather than keep repairing it. Sometimes that makes sense, and removing a stack below the roofline and making the roof good can end ongoing maintenance. But chimneys can be part of a building's character, may matter in a conservation area or on a listed building, and removing one can affect the structure if it is not done properly. We talk through the options in general terms, and we recommend checking with the council before removing a chimney that is visible from the street or on a protected building.

In many cases, repairing the stack and capping unused flues is the simpler and more sympathetic answer.

Why safe access matters

Chimney work is done at height, often on the steepest and most exposed part of the roof. To do it properly, and safely, we use scaffold or other suitable access, which also protects the roof around the stack while we work. It lets us inspect the chimney closely, take photos for you, and carry out the repair without cutting corners.

Local, and recommended

Because we are based in Littleport, Ely is on our doorstep. Our advice is simple: have a chimney checked as soon as you notice a problem, because small repairs now prevent bigger ones later. If your chimney is showing any of the signs above, call 07862 885143 for a free inspection. If the problem turns out to be elsewhere on the roof, our roof repairs in Ely page explains how we handle that.