What Does Puget Sound Weather Do to Your Chimney?

Most chimney advice online is written for somewhere else. Seattle chimneys live with long wet winters, light frosts that come and go, shaded roofs that grow moss, and a housing stock that is older than people expect. This page answers the questions we hear most from homeowners across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, and points you to the right service page for each.

Our climate is a chimney problem

Sea-Tac's 1991-2020 NOAA normal is 40.34 inches of precipitation a year, with about 150 to 156 days of measurable rain, and roughly 73 percent of it falls from October through March, exactly the months the fireplace is in use. Winter lows average in the high 30s, so the region gets about 60 days a year that touch freezing but only about four that stay frozen. For masonry that means wet brick crossing the freeze line over and over, which the Brick Industry Association identifies as the mechanism behind cracking and spalling. Moss, which spreads fastest here from October through April on shaded surfaces, holds water against the brick between rains. None of this is dramatic on any given day. It is relentless over ten winters.

Our houses are older than you think

Census data puts the median year built at 1976 in Seattle, 1967 in Tacoma, 1969 in Shoreline and 1974 in Edmonds. Homes from those decades mostly have brick chimneys with clay tile liners, or none at all. Renton, Kent, Auburn, Redmond, Bothell and Gig Harbor skew newer, and there the common chimney is a factory-built flue inside a siding-clad chase with a galvanized chase cover that rusts. Which kind you have changes everything about the repair, so we start every visit by establishing that.

The questions we hear most

How often should I have it looked at?

NFPA 211 recommends an annual inspection for any chimney in use, and a Level 2 camera inspection when a home changes hands. For a wood fireplace used every winter, the practical answer is a chimney sweep with the inspection included, each fall before burning season. Our sweep and inspection special starts at $299. Details on levels are on the chimney inspection page.

It leaks only in winter. Is that a roof problem or a chimney problem?

Usually the chimney, and usually the top or the flashing. Start on chimney leak repair; we find the entry point before we quote.

The brick is flaking. Is the chimney unsafe?

Not necessarily, but it is telling you the top has been leaking. Read chimney repair and chimney crown repair.

My chimney is siding, not brick. Do you work on those?

Yes. Rusted covers are chase cover replacement, starting at $299; rotted framing is chase repair or chase rebuild, starting at $299.

Something is living in it.

Do not light a fire. See animal and nest removal.

Where we go

Our office is at 1202 N 10th Pl Unit 1509 in Renton. We serve Seattle, Tacoma, Everett and the road-accessible Puget Sound across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Gig Harbor is about 48 minutes from Renton over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Camano Island reaches by the SR 532 bridge through Stanwood. No ferry is required for any of those, so we do not treat them as special trips.

How the quote works

Call 206-453-2045 or send the form. Every quote is free and in writing. If you already have one from another company, we will give you a free second-opinion quote and, on the work you choose, price match plus 10 to 25 percent off. Same-day service is often available. And on every job: if you are not happy, we are not done.