What our chimney warranty actually covers in West Palm Beach
Every job we perform in West Palm Beach is backed by a workmanship warranty that lists, on paper, exactly what is covered and for how long. There is no verbal handshake warranty, no vague we-stand-behind-our-work language — the warranty document goes home with the homeowner the day the work is completed, and a copy is kept in our records for the duration of the coverage period. If you do not have a warranty document in writing, you do not have a warranty, regardless of what was said at the time of service.
Cap installations are warrantied against material defect and workmanship failure for five years. If a 316 marine-grade stainless cap we installed develops a manufacturing defect, corrodes prematurely, or fails because of how we installed it, we replace it at no cost to the homeowner. This warranty applies on the original installation address and is transferable to a new owner if the home is sold within the coverage period — the new owner needs to present the original warranty document at the time of claim.
Crown rebuilds are warrantied for three years against cracking, separation from the brick chase, or water intrusion through the crown surface. The shorter warranty period reflects the reality that crown durability depends heavily on substrate condition; on a chimney where the underlying brick is also failing, even a perfectly executed crown rebuild has a shorter useful life. When the underlying brick is sound and the crown was correctly rebuilt with type S mortar and properly sealed, three years is conservative and we routinely see ten-plus years of trouble-free service.
Masonry, mortar, and flashing warranty terms
Tuckpointing and mortar joint repair work is warrantied for two years against joint failure that is not caused by independent structural movement of the chimney. The two-year window covers the period during which any installation issue (wrong mortar mix, insufficient grind depth, insufficient curing time) would manifest. Mortar that fails after two years is almost always due to age, settlement, or environmental factors rather than installation; we still inspect such claims and stand behind workmanship issues even outside the warranty window when the cause is clearly attributable to our work.
Flashing repair and replacement is warrantied for five years against leaks at the chimney-roof interface that originate from the flashing itself. This is one of the most consequential warranties we provide because flashing leaks are responsible for a large fraction of chimney-related interior water damage in West Palm Beach. If water comes into the home through the chimney-roof interface where we installed flashing, we return at no cost to identify the source and re-flash if needed. The warranty does not extend to leaks originating from the roof itself or from chimney crown or cap failures, which fall under their own respective warranties.
Waterproofing — applying a vapor-permeable masonry sealer to the chimney exterior — is warrantied for ten years against efflorescence, water absorption, and visible water staining of the treated surface. The long warranty reflects the durability of professional-grade siloxane sealers when properly applied. Reapplication is required every ten to fifteen years on coastal homes for continued effectiveness; we send a reminder to customers as the warranty period approaches and offer a discounted rate for re-treatment.
Full system installations and the workmanship guarantee
On full chimney rebuild projects — where we rebuild the upper chase from below the roof line to the cap — the workmanship is warrantied for the original homeowner under the warranty terms at the original installation address. This is the longest warranty we offer and it reflects the fact that a complete rebuild done correctly should last for the remaining life of the home with only routine maintenance. The workmanship warranty covers workmanship issues only; materials are covered under their respective manufacturer warranties, which typically run twenty-five to fifty years on premium products.
For full chimney relining installations using stainless steel liner systems, the manufacturer typically provides a extended material warranty and we add our own five-year workmanship warranty on top. The two-warranty stack means that if anything goes wrong with the liner system, either the manufacturer or we are responsible depending on the failure mode. We handle the diagnosis and claim filing on the homeowner's behalf in either case — you do not need to figure out which warranty applies, just call us and we sort it out.
Gas fireplace and gas log installations carry the manufacturer warranty for the gas appliance itself (typically one to two years on parts, sometimes longer on the heat exchanger and combustion chamber) plus our one-year warranty on installation workmanship. The first-year combined coverage means any issue with the unit or installation is fixed without cost to the homeowner. After year one, manufacturer warranty terms govern; we still respond to any installation-related issue we caused, but parts cost is the homeowner's responsibility outside the manufacturer warranty.
What our warranty does not cover and how to make a claim
Our warranties do not cover damage caused by acts of God (hurricanes, lightning strikes, named tropical storms with declared emergency status), modification or alteration of our work by another party, abuse or misuse of the chimney system, or damage resulting from failure to perform annual maintenance recommended in the warranty document. The maintenance clause is especially important for active wood-burning fireplaces — the warranty assumes annual cleaning and inspection, and chronic creosote buildup that damages a flue we installed is not covered if the annual cleaning was skipped.
To make a warranty claim, call the same phone number you used to book the original service. Have the original work order number or invoice number ready if you can find it; if not, the date of the original work and the service address are sufficient to look up the records. A technician will be scheduled to inspect the issue within a few business days; for active leaks or other urgent failures we prioritize same-day dispatch. If the issue is warranty-covered, the repair is scheduled at no cost; if it is not warranty-covered (a different failure mode, a different component, etc.), we provide a free estimate for the repair and the homeowner decides whether to proceed.
Warranty disputes are rare but handled promptly. If we determine an issue is not warranty-covered and the homeowner disagrees, the dispute resolution process is to bring in a neutral third-party inspector (typically a experienced chimney sweep from another local company) at our expense. The third-party assessment is binding for both parties. In the decade-plus we have been operating in West Palm Beach, we have invoked this process fewer than five times, every time concluding that the homeowner's reading of the situation was either fully or partially correct.
