High winds and heavy rain put more strain on a chimney stack than almost any other part of a roof, simply because it stands taller and takes the full force of gusts that the rest of the roofline is sheltered from. After a storm has passed through Eastville, it is worth having a look from ground level, or ideally from a neighbour's upstairs window, for anything obviously out of place: a leaning pot, a missing section of flashing, or debris on the ground that clearly used to be part of the stack. It only takes a few minutes to do this kind of visual sweep after a bad night of weather, and it can catch a developing problem well before the next spell of rain finds its way through it.
The damage that causes the most concern is not always the most visible. A pot can be knocked loose without falling, leaving it sitting precariously until the next gust finishes the job. Flaunching, the mortar fillet that holds the pots in place at the top of the stack, can crack in a storm and let water track down inside the flue where it was never meant to go. Lead flashing can be lifted or torn at the edges, which often shows up days later as a damp patch on a bedroom ceiling rather than as anything you can see from outside.
Older properties in Eastville, particularly terraces with taller stacks, are more exposed to wind loading than lower buildings nearby, so it is not unusual for one stack on a row to take the brunt of a storm while its neighbours escape unscathed. It is also worth glancing at adjoining roofs where you can, since debris shed from a damaged stack next door occasionally lands on a neighbouring roof and causes a secondary problem that is easy to miss at first. If a stack has visibly shifted, is shedding bricks, or you can see daylight through cracks in the brickwork, treat it as urgent rather than something to leave until convenient — a chimney in that state is a genuine safety risk to anyone below it.
This is exactly the kind of situation our 24-hour emergency call-out exists for. Where a stack needs making safe immediately, we can get access arranged quickly and carry out temporary weatherproofing to stop further water ingress while a permanent repair is planned. Not every storm-related issue needs scaffolding and a full rebuild; sometimes it is a case of resetting a pot, repairing a small section of flaunching, or replacing a length of flashing, and an honest inspection will tell you which.
What we would steer you away from is guessing at the extent of damage from ground level and hoping for the best, or accepting a quick sealant-based fix that papers over the problem without addressing the actual cause. Storm damage to a chimney is one of those repairs where getting eyes on it properly, ideally from a ladder or scaffold tower rather than binoculars, makes a real difference to the accuracy of any quote.
If your chimney has taken a hit in recent weather, get in touch with Brunel Roofing Bristol for a free, no-obligation inspection. We will tell you honestly what needs doing and what can safely wait, backed by our 15-year guarantee on completed repair work.
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