On any given week in spring or fall, central Illinois masons spend significant time inspecting and repairing chimneys. These two seasons are the busiest because they bracket the heating season, with homeowners either preparing for the first fires of the year or assessing damage from the previous winter. The most common findings include deteriorated crowns, missing or rusted caps, stepped cracks running up the exposed chimney face, displaced flashing where the chimney meets the roof, and soft mortar joints in the upper courses of brick. Some of these issues are minor and easily resolved. Others indicate water has already infiltrated the chimney structure and more extensive work is needed. Springfield, Chatham, Auburn, and Sherman homeowners who schedule chimney inspections on a regular two to three year cycle catch problems while they are still small, saving considerable cost compared to those who wait until visible failures appear at the roofline.