Home › Service Areas › Burien › Chimney Leak Repair
Chimney Leak Repair in Burien, WA
Tracing wind-driven leaks on Burien's Sound-facing chimneys to the crown, flashing or brick, and fixing the actual source. Free quote.
- Serving Burien & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Leak Repair Quote in Burien
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
A chimney leak in Burien usually shows up as a brown stain on the ceiling near the fireplace after a southwest storm. The houses along the bluff above Seahurst Park, out at Three Tree Point and across Shorewood catch rain on the wind, and wind-driven water gets into places a gentle rain never reaches: under the lip of a cracked crown, behind step flashing that has pulled away from the brick, and straight through the face of saturated masonry. The post-war ramblers in Gregory Heights and around Lake Burien have the same problems with less wind, and the common failure there is a crown that was poured flush with the brick with no overhang, so water runs down the chimney instead of dripping clear.
We find the source before we fix anything, because sealing the wrong thing just moves the stain. We repair flashing, rebuild crowns, replace covers and collars, and apply a breathable water repellent to brick that is taking on water. The quote is free, we offer a free second-opinion quote if someone has told you the whole chimney has to come down, and we price match plus 10-25% off any written bid. Burien is about 20 minutes from our North Renton office.
Symptoms
Signs Burien homeowners notice
- Water pooling in the firebox or dripping from the damper after rain
- Brown stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney that grows during the wet season
- White crusty efflorescence on the brick inside or outside
- Rust streaks down the siding of a framed chimney or down the face of the brick
- Spalling brick faces or crumbling mortar near the top of the chimney
- Damp firebox walls even when it has not rained for a day or two
Burien Conditions
Why this happens in Burien
The numbers explain why Burien chimneys leak. The Sea-Tac 1991-2020 normals, recorded on the city's eastern edge, give 40.34 inches of rain a year, with about 29.65 inches of it between October and March and November alone at 6.31 inches. That is months of near-continuous wetting with little chance to dry, and on the Sound-facing side of the city it arrives horizontally. Masonry that never dries out wicks water through to the inside, which is why a Three Tree Point chimney can stain the ceiling even when the crown and flashing are perfect.
The freeze-thaw pattern adds to it. Winter lows average 37-38 degrees and roughly 60 days a year touch freezing, so hairline cracks in a crown fill with water, freeze, and open a little wider each cycle. By spring a crack that started as a line you could not see is a channel. Moss on the shaded side, which regional roofing guidance says spreads fastest October through April, holds the water right where the crack is.
How It Works
Our chimney leak repair process
Map the symptom
We ask where the water shows up, when, and how long after rain, because each entry point leaves a different signature.
Check the top
Crown, cap and chase cover are inspected first, since they are the most common leak sources and the fastest to rule in or out.
Check the roofline and masonry
Flashing, mortar joints, spalled brick and the flue itself are checked, including for condensation that mimics a leak.
Fix in the right order
We repair the entry points that are actually leaking, from the top down, and leave the sound ones alone.
Water-test and follow up
Where possible we run water on the repair to confirm it is dry, and if the next storm proves us wrong, we come back at no charge.
Full details, options and pricing factors on the main Chimney Leak Repair page.
Need chimney leak repair in Burien?
Call now or request a free quote — we confirm by phone or text.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Leak Repair in Burien — FAQ
The ceiling near my fireplace only stains during big storms off the Sound. Is that a flashing leak?
Often it is the crown or the brick itself, not the flashing. Wind-driven rain gets under a crown with no overhang and soaks through saturated masonry, and both show up only in heavy weather. We water-test the chimney from the top down in stages to find the real entry point before repairing anything. The quote and the second opinion are free.
Can you fix a Burien chimney leak during the rainy season?
Flashing, covers and collars can be replaced in a dry break between storms, and we can often stop the water the same week. Crown rebuilds and water repellent need the masonry dry, so if the leak appears in November we will usually do a temporary seal and schedule the permanent repair for the first dry stretch, often April or May.
How soon can you do chimney leak repair in Burien?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Burien and the rest of King County.
Other services in Burien
Chimney Leak Repair nearby