Water pooling behind your chimney can lead to expensive roof and masonry damage. If your chimney is wide or sits near the roof slope, a chimney cricket could be the solution you need.

🧱 What Is a Chimney Cricket?

A chimney cricket is a small peaked structure built on the high side of your chimney, where rain or melting snow naturally collects. It acts like a roof within a roof, diverting water away from the chimney and flashing.

While often required by code for chimneys 30 inches or wider, many older homes in Minneapolis still don’t have one—and that’s a problem.

💧 Why You Might Need it

Without it, water tends to pool or flow toward the back of your chimney. Over time, this leads to:

• Leaking flashing

• Water stains inside the attic or ceiling

• Deteriorated mortar joints

• Spalling bricks

• Rotting roof decking beneath the shingles

Add heavy Minnesota snowfall into the mix, and you’ve got a serious risk of leaks.

🔍 Signs Your Chimney Needs a Cricket

• Repeated leaks behind or around the chimney

• Flashing repairs that don’t solve the issue

• Large chimney (over 30″ wide) on a sloped roof

• Signs of pooling water or ice dams

• Moisture stains in the attic near chimney walls

If any of these apply to your home, you should consider installing a cricket before the next season of snow and ice.

🛠 Chimney Cricket Installation in Minneapolis

At Top Hat Chimney Repair, we install custom designed to match your roof pitch and materials. Our work includes:

• Cricket framing and waterproof underlayment

• Step flashing, counter flashing, and ice guard

• Seamless integration with your existing shingles

• Lifetime warranty on flashing systems

Our team has helped hundreds of Minneapolis homeowners stop leaks permanently—without patch jobs or guesswork.

🕒 Don’t Wait Until the Snow Hits

Summer and early fall are ideal for chimney cricket installation. Waiting until winter may allow water to freeze behind your chimney, leading to severe structural problems.

📞 Schedule Your Chimney Leak Evaluation Today

Think your chimney needs a cricket? We’re here to help. Protect your home from the top down.

📞 Call (612) 512-8600 or
🌐 Visit tophatchimneyrepair.com to schedule your roofline inspection.