After a basement floods, attention goes to the furnace, the water heater and the electrical panel. The chimney is seldom on the list, yet its base sits at the lowest point of the house and takes on the same water. AM Chimney Sweep inspects, cleans and repairs chimneys in Cranford, and this page covers what flooding does to a chimney and what should be checked afterward.
Flooding in Cranford
The Township of Cranford describes flooding as its number one natural disaster and the cause of the most property damage. The Rahway River runs through the township, and the Township’s flood information recalls the major flood that followed Hurricane Irene in August 2011, along with earlier events in 1999 and 2007.
Census Bureau estimates add a second factor: about seven in ten Cranford homes were built before 1960, so the chimneys being flooded are, in most cases, older masonry with clay-tile flues or none.
Sources: Township of Cranford flood information notice; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates.
What water does to a chimney from below
- It fills the base. The clean-out and the bottom of the flue take in water and silt. When the water recedes, mud can be left blocking the point where the appliance pipe enters.
- It soaks the masonry. Brick and mortar draw water upward like a wick. White salt deposits may appear on the chimney weeks later, well above the waterline.
- It weakens old mortar. Soft, aged mortar that has been saturated can wash out of the joints at the base.
- It corrodes metal. Vent connector pipes, draft hoods, clean-out doors and ash-dump doors that have been submerged rust quickly and can fail within months.
- It can undermine the footing. Saturated or washed-out soil beneath a chimney foundation can let it settle. New cracks or a lean after a flood should be taken seriously.
- It floods low fireplaces. A fireplace in a finished basement can have its ash pit and firebox floor filled with silt.
After the water is out: a sequence
- Do not restart any flooded heating appliance until your utility or heating contractor has cleared it.
- Open the chimney clean-out door and look. Mud, standing water or debris means the flue base needs clearing.
- Look over the metal pipe from each appliance to the chimney for rust, gaps or sections that have dropped.
- Have the flue inspected with a camera before the heating system goes back into regular use.
- Check again a month or two later for new staining, cracks or crumbling at the base.
Replaced the furnace or water heater after the flood?
Flood-damaged equipment is frequently replaced with something different: a higher-efficiency furnace, a different size of water heater, sometimes a different fuel. The Chimney Safety Institute of America notes that a Level 2 inspection is called for whenever the appliance or fuel changes, and after any outside event likely to have damaged the chimney. A flood followed by new equipment is both.
The practical risk is a flue that suited the old appliance and not the new one. That is corrected with a properly sized liner.
What our inspection covers
- The clean-out, the flue base and every appliance connection
- A camera run through each flue, looking for washed-out joints and loose tile
- The exterior masonry at ground level for erosion, cracks and movement
- The top of the chimney, since a storm that floods the basement has usually tested the cap and crown as well
You receive a written report with photos, which many homeowners keep with their flood and insurance records. Details are on our chimney inspection page.
Ordinary chimney care in Cranford
Not every call is about a flood. We also provide routine cleaning, masonry repair and flue repair for Cranford’s older fireplaces.
Arrange an inspection
Call (862) 225-6529 or send a request online, and let us know if the basement has taken water and when. Examples of our repair work are in Our Work.