What Is a Chimney Cricket?
A chimney cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked structure built on the uphill side of a chimney. It splits the runoff and steers it around the chimney so water does not pool against the masonry and soak in behind the flashing.
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A chimney cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked structure built on the uphill side of a chimney. It splits the runoff and steers it around the chimney so water does not pool against the masonry and soak in behind the flashing.
Chimney Cricket explained
Water running down a roof slope hits the back of a chimney like a wall in a stream. A cricket is a small, ridge-shaped roof built behind the chimney, framed with lumber, decked, and flashed with metal, and it forms two short slopes that carry the water to each side. Building codes commonly call for one on chimneys wider than 30 inches, measured parallel to the ridge, since wider chimneys block more water. It ties into the step flashing along the chimney sides and the counter flashing at the back.
Chimney leaks are the callbacks roofers dread, and a missing cricket on a wide chimney is a textbook cause. During a roof replacement, the estimator should look for the cricket the way they look for flashing: wide chimney, no cricket, stained ceiling nearby. On an estimate it is a per-unit line covering the carpentry and the metal, and in a claim the scope may leave it out unless the chimney detail is addressed.
Cricket is sometimes confused with the chimney cap or crown, which sit on top of the chimney and keep water out of the flue. A cricket is on the roof surface behind it. Another error is covering the cricket with shingles alone and leaving the seams to caulk. A cricket that is too small or too shallow still ponds water, and chimneys narrower than the code threshold often work fine without one.
Why it matters when you're buying
A wide chimney with no cricket is a leak waiting for a heavy rain, and spotting one earns credibility on a first visit. Pointing it out with a photo turns a vague warning about chimney flashing into a specific recommendation the homeowner can see, and it gives the estimator a defensible line to add.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cricket on a roof?
Does every chimney need a cricket?
Is a chimney cricket the same as chimney flashing?
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