Roofing Glossary

Roof Cricket (Saddle)

A cricket — also called a saddle — is a small peaked structure built on the uphill side of a chimney or other wide roof penetration. Its job is to split the flow of water and divert it around both sides of the obstruction instead of letting it pile up behind it.

Without a cricket, water and debris collect in the dead space behind a wide chimney, sitting against the flashing for days after every rain. That standing water is a slow-motion leak. Building codes generally require crickets behind chimneys wider than about 30 inches.

A cricket is framed, decked, flashed, and shingled like a miniature roof. It is a small detail that prevents one of the most common chimney leak patterns.

Why It Matters

Chimney leaks are frequently blamed on the chimney itself when the real culprit is ponding water behind it. A cricket eliminates that ponding at the source.

What to Watch For

• Water stains on the ceiling below a chimney
• Debris piled up behind the chimney
• Deteriorated flashing at the chimney's uphill side

Questions about your own roof? Request a free estimate or call Nucci Brothers Roofing at (301) 458-1003.