Chimney sweep and crown repair in Grant Park, IL
Grant Park has been rebuilt after tornadoes three times, and its chimneys show the whole history: 1880s brick in the old core, mid-century masonry on the rebuilt north side. We keep both standing.
Grant Park chimneys and the wind
Grant Park knows about wind. The April 1948 tornado remains the deadliest in Kankakee County history, and the village rebuilt its north side after that storm and again after 1954. So the chimneys north of downtown are mostly mid-century masonry, brick with tile liners, on ranches and small two-stories, while the blocks around the towering Christmas tree in the middle of town go back to the 1880s. Both kinds are exposed. Grant Park sits in open farm country with nothing to break the wind, and the crowns and top courses of its chimneys take a beating every winter.
The result is that crown repair is the most common job we do here. A thin mortar-wash crown cracks, water gets into the top courses, freezes, and within a few winters the brick is spalling and the cap is loose. Catching it at the crown-coat stage costs a fraction of catching it at the rebuild stage. The Fall Fest kids’ parade in September is about when we start getting calls from Grant Park homeowners who have looked up at the chimney and noticed it does not look right.
Services in Grant Park
Every service at published prices, no travel charge. We group Grant Park with Momence and Beecher jobs.
- Chimney sweeping — annual sweeps for the wood-burning homes in the old core
- Level 1 and Level 2 inspections
- Masonry repair
- Stainless relining
- Caps, crowns and dampers — crown coats and poured crowns are the most common Grant Park job
- Gas fireplace tune-ups
- Dryer vent cleaning
What a chimney crown should be, and why most are not
The crown is the slab across the top of a masonry chimney. Its job is to shed water away from the flue and off the brick, and to seal the top of the chimney cavity. A crown built to the standard is at least two inches thick at its thinnest point, is made of a proper concrete mix rather than mortar, overhangs the brick on all sides by at least an inch with a drip groove cut underneath so water falls clear instead of running down the face, and has a flexible bond-break around the flue tile so the tile can expand with heat without cracking the slab. It should also slope away from the flue.
Most crowns we see in Grant Park have none of that. They were built as a thin wash of leftover mortar troweled flat across the top course, bonded directly to the tile, with no overhang. Mortar shrinks as it cures and cracks as it weathers, the tile pushes against it every time the fireplace heats up, and water runs off the edge straight down the brick. Hairline cracks in an otherwise sound crown can be sealed with a flexible elastomeric crown coating. A crown that is broken, sunken or missing its edge is formed and poured new, with the overhang and expansion gap the original should have had. On an exposed Grant Park chimney that difference is worth ten years.
Local links for Grant Park
Grant Park resources: Village of Grant Park · Grant Park High School
Questions from Grant Park homeowners
How can I tell if my crown is cracked?
From the ground it is hard. Pieces of concrete on the roof, water in the firebox after rain and white staining on the top brick are the signs. We check it on every inspection.
How far is Grant Park from your shop?
About seventeen miles northeast. We are usually there within a few days.
Can a cracked crown be sealed rather than replaced?
If the cracks are hairline and the slab is otherwise sound, yes, with a flexible crown coating. If pieces are missing or it has sunk, it needs pouring new.
My chimney lost its cap in a windstorm. Can you replace it?
Yes. We carry common stainless sizes and fasten them with stainless screws so they stay put.
Do you sweep the older homes downtown?
Yes. Annual sweeps and inspections on the 1880s brick chimneys are routine work for us.
Is there a travel charge to Grant Park?
No.
Do you do dryer vents in Grant Park?
Yes.
Do you inspect chimneys on farm properties outside the village?
Yes. The township around Grant Park is inside our service area.
Fix the crown while it is still a small job.
Call and you will talk to a person who can put you on the schedule today.
Call (815) 449-4264