Chimney Repair for Bergenfield chimneys
Most Bergenfield chimneys are brick and date from the same decades as the houses, the 1920s through the 1960s. Many were built for oil heat and now vent gas furnaces or boilers, often through the original clay tile liner. On capes and colonials, the chimney frequently runs up an exterior wall and rises through the eave, which exposes three sides of the masonry to the weather.
The typical problems are familiar: cracked crowns from decades of freeze-thaw, missing caps, eroded mortar on the weather side, and flashing that has been sealed with roofing cement more than once. On homes with fireplaces, creosote and damper problems come into it as well.
We inspect, clean, reline, rebuild crowns, install caps, repoint, waterproof and reflash. Because we also do roofing, we can repair the chimney and the roof where they meet without passing the job between trades.
Bergenfield housing
Bergenfield is primarily single-family, with a large share of homes built between the 1920s and the 1960s. Cape Cods with front or shed dormers are especially common, along with center-hall colonials, ranches and split-levels. Lots are modest and houses sit close together. The main commercial corridor has one- and two-story buildings with flat roofs, and there are some garden apartment complexes.
Weather & exposure
Bergenfield is inland and fairly level, sheltered from the strongest river wind but exposed to the full run of nor'easter rain and wet snow. Mature street trees drop leaves and limbs onto closely spaced roofs, and freeze-thaw cycles each winter work on brick chimneys and on the low-slope dormer roofs found on many capes. Ice dams are a recurring problem on cape attics with limited ventilation.
Repair, repoint or rebuild in Bergenfield
If your Bergenfield chimney has a cracked crown, a missing cap, loose mortar, white staining or flaking brick, have it inspected before winter. Most of these are repairable with a crown, a cap, repointing and waterproofing. Chimneys with failed brick above the roofline or damaged liners may need a partial rebuild or relining.
If your heating system was converted from oil to gas and the chimney was never relined, ask us to check it. Estimates are free and include photos of what we find.
