Chimney Repair for Palisades Park chimneys
Palisades Park has two kinds of chimneys. The older houses typically have brick masonry chimneys built for oil or coal heat, many with clay tile liners and many since converted to gas. The newer two-family homes are more likely to have metal flues or chase-enclosed vents rather than a masonry chimney at all. Each needs a different kind of attention.
On the masonry chimneys, the familiar problems are cracked crowns, missing caps, open mortar joints and liners that have cracked or were never resized after a gas conversion. On framed chases, the weak points are the chase cover on top, which rusts and holds water, and the siding and flashing where the chase meets the roof.
We inspect, clean, reline, repoint, rebuild crowns, install caps and chase covers, and waterproof. Because we also roof, we handle the flashing at the roofline ourselves.
Palisades Park housing
Palisades Park has small lots and a high share of two-family homes. The older housing stock includes pre-war and post-war frame and brick single-family houses with pitched shingle roofs and brick chimneys. A large number of newer two-family homes have replaced older houses in recent decades, many with flat or low-slope roofs, parapets, rooftop mechanical units and metal flues instead of masonry chimneys. Broad Avenue is lined with one- and two-story commercial and mixed-use buildings with flat roofs.
Weather & exposure
The borough sits on the inland slope of the Palisades ridge, with land falling west toward Overpeck Creek. It is a little more sheltered than the cliff-edge blocks of its eastern neighbours but still takes gusty northeast and northwest winds in storms. Flat roofs on tightly spaced buildings depend on drains and scuppers that clog easily, and freeze-thaw cycles work on the brick chimneys of the older houses.
Repair, repoint or rebuild in Palisades Park
If your Palisades Park chimney shows white staining, loose brick, a cracked crown or a missing cap, schedule an inspection before the heating season. On newer homes with a framed chase, look up at the chase cover: if it is rusty or sagging, it is likely letting water in.
If your home was converted from oil to gas and the chimney was never relined, ask us to check the flue. An unlined or oversized flue serving a gas appliance is both a maintenance and a safety concern. Estimates are free.
