Chimney cricket installation solves a problem that no amount of sealant will. A cricket, sometimes called a saddle, is a small peaked roof built on the uphill side of a chimney. It splits the water coming down the slope and sends it around both sides instead of letting it pond against the back of the brick.
The International Residential Code calls for a cricket on any chimney wider than 30 inches measured parallel to the ridge, unless the chimney sits on the ridge itself. Plenty of older homes were built without one, and it shows: the back of the chimney is where we find the rotted decking, the stained rafters and the leaf pile that holds water for days after a storm.
Our crew frames the cricket with lumber and plywood sheathing, wraps it in ice and water shield, and then flashes it with sheet metal or shingles to match the roof. The metal pan ties into the step flashing on both sides and runs up behind the counter flashing.
In snow country a cricket matters even more, because a drift behind a wide chimney melts slowly and feeds water under the shingles for weeks. Call (833) 583-1301 and we will measure your chimney and tell you if it needs one.
