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While a chimney cricket may not be mandatory in your area, or for your chimney, you should consider installing one anyway. There are many good reasons that chimney crickets are so strongly recommended by roofing professionals. The chimney is a vulnerable part of the roof and an important architectural feature on many homes. A chimney saddle is a critical part of chimney flashing that protects the chimney (and the rest of your home) from wear and leaks.
Not all building codes in North America require you to install a chimney cricket. However, most specify that you need a roof saddle if you have a chimney that is wider than 30 inches. Note that you should measure the width of a chimney on the side that is parallel to the ridge. This is the side that is at risk from pooling water.
In building codes that require chimney crickets, there is typically an exception. A chimney that intersects the ridge does not need a roof cricket, as it will not suffer a build-up of water.
Your codes may also have requirements about how high your roof cricket must extend up the chimney. The higher your saddle must extend, the steeper its pitch will be. The steeper your roof, the steeper the cricket will need to be in order to divert the water properly.
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Without a chimney saddle, water would run down the slope of the roof and hit the back wall of the chimney. It would drain off the sides, but not quickly enough. You’d end up with a pool of water behind the chimney that could wear away at its masonry. This water exposure is especially a problem for historic homes, as the exact chimney materials may no longer be available for repairs.
A well-designed cricket will prevent this water back-log from developing. As the water reaches the cricket it is pushed to either side and away from the chimney, down the roof.
It’s important that the chimney saddle has a high enough slope that water never reaches its peak. Typically, to accomplish this a chimney saddle must be set at a higher pitch than the roof plane it is installed on. We’ll talk more about what slope and height your chimney cricket should be, according to international guidelines and your specific building codes, below
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