The annual chimney inspection checklist every West University Place homeowner should run

Most chimney failures in West University Place announce themselves months before they get expensive. The trouble is that the warning signs sit above the roofline where nobody looks.

Start at the top. The crown should be a sloped concrete cap with an overhang and a drip edge — not a thin skim of mortar. Any crack wider than a hairline is letting water into the chimney wall.

Work down the stack. White chalky staining is efflorescence: salt left behind by water moving through the brick. Flaking brick faces mean water already froze inside them.

Check the flashing where the chimney meets the roof. Roofing cement smeared over an old joint is a patch, not a repair, and it fails within a couple of seasons.

Inside, look for rust on the damper, a musty smell, and staining on the ceiling near the chase. All three point to water coming down the flue.

We photograph every finding before quoting anything in West University Place. If the chimney is fine, we tell you it's fine.