Chimney Chase Repair in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Chimney chases — the framed, sided enclosures that house prefabricated metal flue systems on many Lake Worth Beach homes built after the 1960s — present a different set of problems than the older masonry chimneys in the historic districts. These chases are typically framed in wood and covered with stucco, vinyl, or fiber-cement siding, and they rely entirely on a chase cover and tight top-sealing to keep water out of the framing. In a coastal county environment where humidity is constant and summer storms are violent, a chase that's developed even a small gap at the top is already admitting moisture into the wood framing inside.

Chimney Chase Repair: What the Work Looks Like

The kind of chimney chase repair work we handle for Lake Worth Beach homeowners — swipe to see more.

Why Lake Worth Beach Homes Need Chimney Chase Repair

The most common failure we see on Lake Worth Beach chases is a deteriorated or improperly fitted chase cover — the metal pan that caps the top of the framed enclosure. Standard galvanized covers rust through faster here than they would inland, and when the cover fails, water runs directly onto the wood top plate of the chase. We've opened up damaged chases in this city and found framing that was saturated, black with mold, and in some cases partially rotted — all while the exterior stucco looked intact from the street. The stucco hides the damage until it's severe.

Chase repair work varies depending on what we find. At minimum, a corroded chase cover gets replaced with a stainless-steel unit fitted to the chase dimensions and sealed at every seam. If the underlying framing has moisture damage, we expose the affected area, treat it, and repair the structure before closing it back up. We also look at the flashing at the base of the chase where it meets the roofline — another common water-entry point that's often missed because it's not visible from the ground. Stucco repairs to the exterior are matched in texture so the patched area blends with the surrounding surface.

Homeowners in Lake Worth Beach who have a prefabricated fireplace with a framed chase should know that these systems have a defined service life, and the chase is usually what fails first. If you've noticed the stucco on your chase bubbling, staining, or developing cracks along the vertical seams, or if you're seeing water in the firebox after heavy rain, don't wait for the next storm to confirm the source. A chase cover replacement is a modest repair; rebuilding water-damaged framing is not. We're glad to come out, get up on the roof, and tell you exactly what's going on.

Signs You Need Chimney Chase Repair

• Rust streaks running down the sides of a metal-topped chimney chase
• Water pooling on top of the chase cover instead of draining off
• Leaks or stains showing up near a prefab (factory-built) fireplace
• Damaged, soft, or rotting siding on the chase structure

How It Works