Chimney Storm Damage Repair
When a chimney is damaged or broken by heavy winds, lighting, or a severe storm, the home is at risk for problems that extend far beyond the chimney itself. One bad storm can wreak havoc on your exterior chimney and the interior of your fireplace. Storm damage to a chimney can cause rapid deterioration to span across unexpected areas of your entire home.
Acts of nature, although unavoidable, can devastate a chimney. Chimney Storm Damage Repair is an unfortunate but necessary service offered by the Certified Technicians at Full Service Chimney™.
If you need an appointment, Call us at (913) 642-6171. or complete and submit this quick form and a member of our team with reach out within 4-business hours.
Schedule Your Chimney Storm Evaluation Now
Short on time? Here's a quick page summary:
So, your chimney was broken or damaged by a storm, it’s a problem, and you found this page looking for help.
Here’s a quick run-down of what we discuss on this page:
- IF animals are getting inside your chimney, then you’ll likely notice the sound (and smell). However, if water is leaking into your flue or there’s a fire safety concern, it’s very likely you may not detect a problem until the next season when it’s had more time, to do more damage to your home. (…and yes, there are other worst case scenarios to consider that we discuss more in depth).
- Only fixing your chimney exterior problems is a mistake! Repairing the outside may stop animals (or debris) but it will NOT solve bigger issues (ie. leaks, performance, or fire-safety problems) with your fireplace and chimney system. Remember that all parts must work together, inside and out.
- If you’ve experienced a storm that damaged your chimney, then you need a professional evaluation from a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep in your area.
- Chimney repairs could possibly be covered by insurance. *Please note, your chimney service provider has no control over the outcome of any insurance claims. As chimney inspectors, our job is to provide the homeowner details of our inspection to help show the condition of a chimney as the time of the appointment. *see disclaimer.
What Happens If You Don’t Fix Your Chimney?
If your chimney was damaged by a heavy storm or extreme weather and it is allowed to remain in disrepair it will inevitably lead to any (or all) of the following outcomes.
If you decide NOT to fix your broken chimney:
- Animals can freely enter your chimney and fireplace.
- Existing damages can increase throughout the full exterior chimney and damage surrounding areas.
- Water damage will eventually start to be seen in the home’s interior walls or ceilings. (This can often take time to develop, and often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Which is why early inspection is so critical.)
- Fire-Safety issues can either be immediately obvious or hidden where nobody will notice until the next burning season when you try to use the system.
Some worse-case scenarios
Home Storm Damages can show up in many forms, all of which are very unfortunate, and some are much worse than others! So what happens if you don’t repair the chimney?
If for some wild reason, you decided NOT to fix your chimney, there are worse things that can happen. Here’s a few big ones:
Full Service Chimney™ restores your chimney better than new! We can help you undo the damage caused by storms. Should you need assistance preparing for an insurance claim, our staff is happy to help get that squared away for you. If you have questions regarding storm damage repairs or want to schedule an appointment with our team to come out and evaluate the damage done to your chimney during a storm the call 913-642-6171 now.
Why You Should NEVER Repair Your Own Chimney
(DIY runs in our blood, so we totally get it!)
We understand the strong urge to just do-it-yourself or hire someone you know to do it cheaply and not bother with professionals or insurance claims. And we truly believe that most people mean well in the ir attempts to remedy a bad situation. With that said, it’s a bad idea try to fix your own chimney and we cannot warn you strongly enough to never try this work at home.
“…there is no clear cut manual that teaches everything people need to know about chimneys. I’ve been repairing chimneys in Kansas City since 1987. We’re going on 4 decades now in this business, and even as a Master Chimney Sweep, I still learn something new everyday, because no two chimneys or fireplaces are ever the same… they’re as unique as the home itself.” ~ Robert Berry, Owner
In Our Experience
In our 35-years of experience, one of the biggest common problems that makes this job an extreme challenge is that chimney damage can take-on so many different shapes and forms. You, the property owner, or the tenants, may not be able to see that a problem exists until it’s too late! …Or worse, be under the illusion that your fireplace and/or chimney is safe to use.
We’ve seen it more times than we can count. A wonderful, well-meaning, handy person with great intentions goes to the trouble to fix the outside bricks or prefab chase siding, and everything looks good. At least for a little while, the bandaid fix may delay more damages for a year or so… or at least delay anyone noticing what’s happening behind or beneath the quick-fix repairs.
When people fix the outside not realizing there was an underlying issue on the inside of their chimney, it’s only a matter of time before they regret the decision. It’s sad, but we still see it happen all the time. Many of our long-time customers originally called us because of this very reason! To fix some damage that was supposedly already fixed.
Just remember, there’s more to chimneys than meets the eye, check out this helpful resource to better understand the inner workings of your system.
How to File an Insurance Claim for a Chimney Damaged by a Storm
Nobody wants or expects a bad storm but when severe weather strikes, it’s critical to the well being of your family, your house, and your pockets to act quickly. You probably have tons of questions:
- What is Covered?
- How long does approval take?
- Is there a cut-off time to submit damages to insurance?
- What will it cost?
All of these questions must be answered by your insurance agent/company. Since it varies per household. We cannot give definitive answers to those specific questions. However, we can tell you a bit about our experiences. From what we’ve seen in the past: structural or wear and tear type damages are not usually covered by insurance, but when there’s evidence of a recent storm, an approved claim is much more likely!
Where to Start after Chimney Damage is Discovered
If you read the reasons listed above, (leaks, animals, carbon monoxide, or fires, etc.) then you probably already agree that an interior and exterior chimney inspection is critical for both the home itself and for the care of the family who lives in the home.
First, you must have a trained professional who knows what to look for to be able to detect all the issues first and foremost. Next, once you submit the details of the claim and get it approved by your insurance. Then, you need a reliable and dedicated team to come back and repair the problems found with your broken flues or otherwise storm damaged chimneys.
That is often the biggest hurdle for people: Finding a knowledgeable and qualified crew to perform these intense repairs is often a BIG CHALLENGE because chimney repairs are a specialty field. There are many general home contractors that will not perform this type of work, or are unable to do certain jobs due to lacking the proper certifications.
Remember, whoever you choose to be your fireplace inspector and/or chimney contractor, just make sure to verify their certification numbers and you always have the right to ask your technician to show you their badge upon arrival to your home. Check out this article: 7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Chimney Company
If you reside in our Service Area, the team at Full Service Chimney™ can help you Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm.
Ask Your Provider About Time Limits to Submit a Claim
Depending on your home insurance provider, there may be a time frame for how long past a storm you can make a claim. We can still inspect your chimney at any time, but timing matters! If you call us out for a storm that happened years ago, no insurance will be willing to cover that! The sooner you get us out there the sooner your agent gets the details they need to try to help you get some damages covered.
We’ve heard about time frames as short as 30-days (up to a year, at most). As the responsible party, you must check with your specific provider and verify what type of damages are covered in your plan, and how much time you have to report the details, and how to make the claim, etc.
We are happy to help you out with that process after our inspection.
What we do, is send out a Certified Technician who inspects the chimney (interior and exterior), we take pictures of our findings and document everything we discover. Then the techcnician provides complete details to the homeowner regarding the damages done by the storm, as seen at the time of our inspection appointment. We will discuss the report together, and explain anything that does not make sense so everyone understands the report and the options for your chimney repairs.
Please remember we are happy to lend a hand with the process, but have no direct control over your insurance company’s decision or how they choose to handle the claims submitted. We will provide you a most thorough investigation of the damages and then if you choose us, we will develop a plan for the job, schedule it to suit your needs, and then perform the most trusted chimney repairs in the Kansas City area.
*Disclaimer: Please note, this is general information for educational purposes. We are not affiliated with any insurance companies and are not responsible for the outcome of any claim. It is the homeowners sole responsibility to work with their insurance company. All insurance plans vary, and we are not affiliated with any insurance provider.
Let Us Help You
If your cap blew off we can help! If Your Chimney Collapsed in the storm, we can help!
Heavy storm damage to your chimney is usually pretty obvious. Meaning you can visually see with your eyes that the chimney is broken and needs fixed. If that’s the case, give us a call and we can send an inspector out to help you figure out what it will take to rebuild it.
However there are times, when chimney issues cannot be seen from the outside at all! This is worrisome, because some problems are hidden and can only be seen from the inside of your flues. If your chimney suffered storm or severe weather damages then a level 2 inspection using specialized camera equipment is necessary to ensure the best repairs are made. This is a precaution that will help you maintain your home’s safety and protect those who live there.
If you’re in our Kansas City service area, and your chimney was hit by a storm, then we can help you identify the problem areas and fix the damages with repairs you can trust. Call us today at (913) 642-6171.
If your chimney collapsed in the storm:
If you have a gas furnace or water heater, and your chimney collapsed in the storm, then you’re at risk for a blocked flue and need to be inspected immediately by your authorized local professionals.
Many people are simply unaware, that gas appliances often vent through fireplace chimneys.
Too often, folks who never (or rarely) use their fireplace, mistakenly believe that their chimneys are not being used and are now nothing more than a decorative part of the outside of the house, but that could not be further from the truth. This is a very common, but dangerous misconception!
If you are not sure whether your chimneys are actively venting gas from your home, we can help you find out.
Call (913) 642-6171 to schedule an appointment or click to learn more.