What a cricket is
A chimney cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked roof built on the uphill side of a chimney. Instead of meeting a flat wall of brick, water running down the roof hits the ridge of the cricket and is split to both sides, flowing around the chimney. Without a cricket, water, snow, leaves and pine needles collect against the back of the chimney, where the flashing is most vulnerable to leaks.
Crickets are framed with lumber or built from sheet metal, covered with underlayment and roofing or metal, and flashed and counterflashed to the chimney. On small chimneys, a simple metal backpan may be used instead.
When the code requires one
The International Residential Code, which most U.S. states and cities adopt in some form, addresses chimney crickets in section R1003.20. It requires a cricket where the chimney’s dimension parallel to the ridgeline is greater than 30 inches and the chimney does not intersect the ridgeline. The intersection of the cricket and the chimney must be flashed and counterflashed like other roof-chimney intersections, and a table sets the cricket’s height based on roof slope: the steeper the roof, the taller the cricket relative to the chimney width.
Many older homes were built before these rules or have crickets that were removed during re-roofing. Even smaller chimneys benefit from a cricket on wide, low-slope roofs or in heavy snow and leaf areas. Local codes may differ, so the roofer should confirm the requirement where you live.
Why it matters for gutters
Concentrated flow
A chimney splits the roof into two streams. With a cricket, the water flows evenly around the chimney and spreads back out over the roof below. Without one, water ponds behind the chimney, spills around its corners in narrow streams and can carve channels in shingles. Those streams hit the gutter below at one or two points, where they can overshoot the gutter in heavy rain or overwhelm a nearby inside corner. Roof valleys create a similar problem; see roof valleys and gutter overflow.
Debris
Leaves, needles and seeds collect in the pocket behind a chimney without a cricket. When that pile breaks loose in a storm, it washes into the gutter as a clump and can block a downspout outlet. With a cricket, debris sheds more evenly and gutter guards handle it better. See are gutter guards worth it?
Snow and ice
Snow drifts behind chimneys, and meltwater from that drift can refreeze at the eave as an ice dam. A cricket reduces drifting and lets meltwater flow around the chimney. Along the eave below, gutters still need strong hangers. See ice dams and gutters and snow load and gutters.
Leaks that look like gutter problems
Water stains on the ceiling near a chimney, or on the wall below it, are often blamed on gutters. More often the cause is failed chimney flashing or a missing cricket. Water that gets behind the flashing can run down inside the wall and appear far from its source. Before replacing gutters to fix a leak, have the chimney area inspected. See wet basement? check gutters first for the reverse case.
Chimneys at the eave
Some chimneys sit on an exterior wall and pass through the roof at the eave, so the gutter must stop on one side of the chimney and start again on the other. Each gutter section then needs its own end cap and its own downspout, or a carefully detailed connection behind the chimney. Water from the roof above the chimney still has to go somewhere, which is another reason for a cricket. Ask the installer how each section will drain and where the downspouts will go. See downspout size and placement.
Coordinating the work
Building or rebuilding a cricket is roofing work, usually done during a re-roof, when the shingles around the chimney are already off. That is also the best time to replace chimney flashing and to install new gutters, because the drip edge, underlayment and roof-edge details all change at once. If the roof is not being replaced, a roofer can still add a cricket by removing shingles around the chimney, but it costs more as a separate job. See new roof, new gutters? and drip edge and gutter apron.
Gutter installers do not normally build crickets, but a good installer will notice concentrated flow from a chimney and plan for it, by adding a downspout near the spot where the flow lands, choosing a larger gutter or adding a splash guard at the corner.
What to check before new gutters
- Look at the roof behind the chimney from the ground or with binoculars. Is there a peaked cricket, a metal backpan or nothing at all?
- Look for moss, debris piles or dark staining behind and beside the chimney.
- Check the ceiling and walls near the chimney for stains, and the attic around the chimney for daylight or damp wood.
- During a heavy rain, watch where water leaves the roof below the chimney. Is there a stream that overshoots the gutter?
- Ask the gutter installer how they will handle concentrated flow, and ask a roofer about the chimney flashing and cricket if anything looks wrong.
Costs
Cricket and flashing costs depend on chimney size, roof slope, roofing material and whether the work is done during a re-roof. Get a written quote from a roofer that separates the cricket, flashing and any masonry repair. For gutter prices, see our cost guide.
Other roof features that affect gutters
Skylights, dormers and roof-to-wall intersections also redirect water. Kick-out flashing at the bottom of a roof-wall intersection sends water into the gutter instead of down the siding. See gutters and stucco homes. If the project is large enough to involve the roof, check whether a permit is required; see gutter permits and HOA rules. And plan the timing; see the best time of year to install gutters.