Chimneys have basically one area that can cause problems for a cladding system: the chimney cap. If the chimney cap is done right, the chimney can be completely moisture free. But, when the chimney cap is done wrong, catastrophe could strike.
On one chimney alone… |
there could be good things, like this seam of the chimney cap… |
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and there can be bad things, like the way this cap does not overlap the cladding. |
As the top right picture illustrates, the seam on a cap is important. It diverts water from flowing into areas of the seam where cuts and bends were made. The picture of the chimney cap shows a folded seam that correctly diverts water away from creases in the cap.
The other picture (bottom right) illustrates the most common problem with chimneys: not overlapping the cladding. When a cap does not overlap the cladding, water may run directly off the cap into the cladding system. If the cap does not overlap the cladding enough, there is still a chance that the water can enter the cladding system.
