Cracked crowns letting water into the flue
Why it happens here
Freehold Borough's freeze-thaw cycle is brutal on crowns poured with the wrong mix. Water sits in hairline cracks, freezes, expands, and opens them wider until the crown crumbles. Once that happens, every rain sends water down the flue.
Our approach
We remove the failed crown, pour a new one with proper chimney crown mix, and slope it to shed water. Then we seal the stack with water repellent. Most crowns we install last 15 to 20 years in this climate.