Loose or broken pots
Wind can rock chimney pots loose or bring them down, and a falling pot is a danger to anyone below.
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Chimney Damage Repairs in Edinburgh
Chimneys take the full force of the weather. High winds can loosen pots and crack the flaunching, and failed flashings let water run down into the rooms below. We repair the damage to the stack and the leaks it has caused inside.
01 / Damage & causes
Common chimney damage
Chimney problems often show up indoors first, as a damp patch on a chimney breast or ceiling, before anyone has looked at the stack itself.
Cracked flaunching
The mortar that holds the pots in place cracks with age and weather, letting rain into the stack.
Failed flashings
Where the stack meets the roof, damaged or lifted flashings let water track into the roof space.
Worn pointing and stonework
Weathered joints and damaged masonry let water soak into the stack.
Damp chimney breasts
Water getting into the stack can stain the chimney breast inside and damage plaster and ceilings in the rooms below.
02 / The repair
Repairing a chimney stack
Most chimney repairs involve resetting or replacing pots, renewing the flaunching, repointing and refitting flashings so the stack sheds water again. Safe access is planned at survey, as work at chimney height needs the right equipment. Once the stack is watertight, any internal damage can be put right.
Tenement roofs in Edinburgh often carry tall shared stacks. Where a stack is shared, the repair may involve neighbours and their insurers too, and any concern about a stack's stability needs assessing by a suitably qualified professional before work goes ahead.
03 / Your claim
Chimneys and insurance
Insurers generally distinguish between sudden damage, such as a storm bringing down a pot, and gradual wear like ageing mortar. Your insurer decides how the claim is treated, so note the date of the storm and photograph what you can safely see from the ground.
We set out the chimney repair and any internal damage in an itemised quote for your insurer to consider. Storm damage elsewhere on the roof is covered on our storm damage and roof repairs page.
Chimney damaged in a storm?
Report the damage to your insurer, then request a survey. We'll photograph the stack and any leaks inside and set out the repair for your insurer.