Our Guarantee
If something we built, lined, sealed or repointed fails because of how we did it, we come back and make it right. Here is what that means in plain terms.
What does a chimney repair guarantee usually cover?
A workmanship guarantee covers failures caused by how the work was done: a crown that cracks because it was poured too thin, flashing that leaks because the reglet was cut wrong, repointing that falls out because joints were not raked deep enough. It does not cover new causes such as storms, building movement or an appliance change. Stainless steel liners often carry a separate manufacturer warranty, which passes to you.
What Our Workmanship Guarantee Means
Every repair, liner installation and masonry job we complete in Crown Heights and the surrounding neighborhoods is guaranteed against defects in our workmanship. If the work fails because of how we prepared, mixed, set, cut, sealed or installed it, we return and correct it at no charge to you.
The guarantee period for each job is written on your completion paperwork, and it starts the day the work is finished. Different kinds of work carry different periods, because a cast-in-place crown and a flue sweep are not the same thing, and we would rather state the term for your specific job than quote a single number that is too long for some work and too short for others.
The guarantee belongs to the property. If you sell your rowhouse or apartment while it is in force, the new owner can rely on it, which is one more reason to keep the paperwork with your building records.
What Is Covered
Covered means a failure in the specific work we did, in the location we did it, within the stated period.
- Cast-in-place crowns that crack, separate from the brick or fail to shed water because of how they were formed or poured.
- Copper flashing and lead counter-flashing that leak at the chimney because of how it was cut, set or sealed into the mortar joint.
- Repointed joints in Type N mortar that crack, powder or fall out because of preparation, mix or curing on our part.
- Rebuilt masonry, including reclaimed brick match units, that shifts, opens or fails because of how it was laid.
- Stainless steel flue liner installations that fail to draft, leak at connections or were sized incorrectly for the connected appliance.
- Chimney caps and top plates that come loose or leak because of how they were fastened or sealed.
What Is Not Covered
A guarantee on our workmanship cannot cover causes that have nothing to do with our workmanship. We would rather be clear about those now than argue about them later.
- Damage from events after the work: storms, lightning, chimney fires, building settlement, roof work by others or anything that strikes the stack.
- Problems in parts of the chimney we did not work on. If we repointed the top courses and a joint fails below the roofline, that is a new job, and the inspection report will have noted its condition.
- Changes to the system after our work, such as a new boiler, a fuel conversion or a fireplace insert connected to a liner sized for something else.
- Normal weathering of materials over time, including the natural patina on copper and the gradual soiling of a new crown.
- Water entering from sources other than the chimney, such as parapet walls, roof membrane, coping stones or skylights, even where it shows up near the fireplace.
- Work by anyone else on the same chimney after ours, unless we were called back to inspect and approve it.
Materials Warranties
Some of what we install carries a warranty from the manufacturer that is separate from our workmanship guarantee. Stainless steel flue liners are the clearest example: the liner manufacturer typically warrants the material against corrosion and failure for a stated period when installed to their instructions, and that warranty passes to you. We register the installation where the manufacturer requires it and give you the documents with the completion paperwork.
Site-mixed and site-formed materials, such as Type N mortar, cast-in-place crowns and reclaimed brick, do not carry a manufacturer warranty in the same sense. Their performance depends on how they are prepared and placed, which is exactly what our workmanship guarantee is for.
Where a manufacturer warranty and our workmanship guarantee overlap, you deal with us first. We will diagnose the failure, tell you honestly whether it is the material or the installation, and handle the manufacturer claim on your behalf if that is where it belongs.
How to Raise an Issue
Call or email us with your address, the date of the work and what you are seeing. Photos help, especially of a stain or a crack, but do not go on the roof to take them. We will schedule an inspection, usually within the same week for anything involving water or draft.
On the visit we look at the work, compare it against the photos in your original report, and tell you on the spot whether it falls under the guarantee. If it does, we schedule the correction and do it at no charge. If it does not, we explain why with photos and quote the new work separately, and you are free to take that quote elsewhere.
Keep your completion paperwork and inspection report. They state the guarantee period and show the condition of the whole chimney at the time we worked on it, which is what makes any later conversation quick and fair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the guarantee cover a sweep or an inspection?
A sweep is guaranteed in the sense that if we missed a section of flue or left a blockage, we return and finish the job at no charge. An inspection is a professional opinion on the condition of the chimney on the day we looked at it, documented in photos. It cannot guarantee that nothing will change afterward, but it does guarantee that what we reported is what we saw. If a later problem was visible in our photos and we failed to flag it, we want to hear about it.
What if the leak comes back but from a different spot on the chimney?
We come out and find the source, the same as any leak call. If the water is entering through work we did, it is covered. If it is entering through a part of the stack we did not touch, or through the parapet or roof membrane next to it, we show you the entry point with photos and quote that repair separately. Our original inspection report will usually have noted the condition of those other areas, which makes it easy to see what changed.
Is the guarantee transferable if I sell my building?
Yes. The guarantee attaches to the chimney, not to the person who paid for the work. A buyer of a Crown Heights rowhouse or an apartment under a boiler stack we rebuilt can rely on it for the remainder of the stated period. Give the buyer your completion paperwork and inspection report at closing, and tell them to call us with any questions. We keep our own records as well.
Do I need to do anything to keep the guarantee valid?
Keep the chimney in normal use and have it inspected on the usual annual schedule. Do not have other contractors modify the work without calling us first, and let us know if you change the boiler, water heater or fireplace that the flue serves, because a liner sized for one appliance may not be right for another. Beyond that, keep the paperwork somewhere you can find it. None of this is a trap; it just keeps the facts clear if an issue ever comes up.
Work You Can Hold Us To
Call (347) 555-0188 or email [email protected] to book an inspection in Crown Heights or the surrounding neighborhoods. Every repair comes with the guarantee in writing.