The Kearsley Curse wrote:

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Terry wrote:
"The Kearsley Curse" wrote in message
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I've got a cracked crown on a red brick chimney. Also, the mortar
between the brick is coming loose.

The cracks on the crown run right down to the red brick. Is it
necessary to chip off the old crown and replace it entirely? Or is
there a product to seal the cracked areas on the crown?

Thanks in advance.

FWIW:
The approx 16 inch by 24 inch concrete cap (it's about four inches thick)
that I poured myself some 25 years ago after a mason built our two flue
chimney, developed a small crack years ago.
Worried about water and ice cracking it further I caulked it using something
from a tube of fairly ordinary outside caulk. Checking it occasionally it
appears to have worked for the last ten to fifteen years without further
attention.
Other opinions may vary.

Thanks. I'll look into it and see if there is an easy way around this,
other than to chip away the old crown. Keeping it simple would be the
way to go, at least for now.

I'd go w/ simply caulking and perhaps repointing a little if it's
sufficiently large cracking that it appears to need it...as Terry says,
unless it's really deteriorated extensively that will probably last
indefinitely if just monitor it on occasion.

If, otoh, it has moved significantly by next year after this year's
patching, then you have indications of other problems to be resolved...