Chimney Repair for Paterson chimneys
Paterson's chimneys are among the oldest in Passaic County. Brick stacks on pre-war two- and three-families and multifamily buildings have often outlived the coal and oil systems they were built for and now vent gas boilers and water heaters, or nothing at all. Decades of weather, soft old mortar and acidic exhaust have left many of them cracked, spalling and leaning.
We repair, repoint, reline and rebuild chimneys on all types of Paterson buildings, from frame two-families to brick multifamily. We also handle the critical detail where a chimney passes through a flat membrane roof, which is one of the most common leak points on buildings in the city.
Paterson housing
Paterson's housing stock is dense and mostly pre-war. Two- and three-family frame houses with flat or shallow-pitched roofs line the residential streets, and brick multifamily, rowhouse and mixed-use buildings dominate the older sections near downtown and the historic mill district. Many buildings have been re-roofed with layers of built-up roofing or membrane, and most have brick chimneys that are now very old.
Weather & exposure
Paterson sits in the Passaic River valley with higher ground to the north and west. Flat roofs across the city are exposed to ponding after heavy rain, ice buildup in winter and summer heat that ages membranes. Nor'easters drive rain horizontally against parapet walls and chimneys. Older buildings with many rooftop penetrations and decades of patching have more places for water to get in.
Repair, repoint or rebuild in Paterson
Start with an inspection, including the flue interior if it serves an appliance. Repointing is appropriate for sound brick with worn joints. Spalled, loose or leaning upper sections should be rebuilt from a solid course up, with a new crown and cap. If the flue is unlined or damaged and serves a boiler or water heater, a correctly sized stainless steel liner is the fix. Abandoned chimneys should be capped and sealed, or removed below the roofline and roofed over.
Chimney and roof work on flat-roofed buildings should be coordinated. We can rebuild or repair the chimney and then reflash it into the membrane in one project.
