I have been having trouble with a leaky fireplace. When it rains heavily, I get a bit of rainwater in the fireplace. If finally got so much more than a bit that I replaced the porch roof that surrounds the chimney. That cut the problem down a lot. But it didn’t completely solve it. In examining the bricks outside but below the porch roof, I note dampness in the bricks. To the point where small drops of water are running down the face.
I really don’t think the roof is leaking. That leaves the bricks and mortar themselves. Has anyone heard of such a problem? Water leaking through the bricks (or more likely the mortar) and coming out a couple of feet away? The distance traveled would be at least 3 feet and the time is about 12 hours.
How old is your chimney, and is it the only masonry you have? I’ve heard of tuckpointing being necessary as often as every 35 years or so. If you see any cracks in the mortar, you may need to get that repaired. If you have other masonry that’s a similar age, all of it may be in need of tuckpointing.
How hard is it raining when you have this water problem?
I have never had any water come down the chimney in my house and I do not use my fire place very often at all. I believe there is enough draft in my chimney to keep water from coming in. However I have a short chimney on the garage and I get water all the time. What I mean by short chimney is no basement, but no heat in the garage to cause a draft either if that in fact is what helps.
There are many different weather caps one can put on a chimney. Perhaps that is where you should look.
It was completely replaced 2 weeks ago when the porch roof was replaced. That was the point of the replacement. The contractor (30 yrs experience, highly recommended, very expensive but I wanted this problem solved) would only guarantee the work if the entire roof was replaced. When I examine the job closely, I can’t see any flaws. Not that I am an expert or anything.
The chimney has two protections from rain. First there is a brick cowl- a U shaped brick arch over the top of of the chimney. Rain can get in to the opening but it keeps a lot out. Second there is a purpose-designed (for chimneys) flap installed at the top. To actually use the fireplace one has to pull a chain in the firebox (obviously best done before the fire starts!) to open the flap. I have examined both and find no visible gaps or breaks.
I would suspect the opening more except that there is water on the outside of the bricks under the porch roof.
This appears to me to be the problem. The house is 30 yrs old. The bricks are flaking and the mortar is cracked. I have sealed many of the cracks with masonry sealant. One problem is that so much work has been done on the flashing that the bricks and masonry has taken a lot of abuse. When flashing is installed a groove is cut into the brick. Of course we examined those cuts first and all are sealed as best we can.
All that said-tuckpointing is probably the next step. Sigh. As I have been warned by others-a chimney once it starts to give problems is very hard to fix.
has anyone heard of the actual bricks becoming so bad that they themselves leak? Can I concentrate on the mortar or should I look at sealants for the bricks themselves?
I have been told that the liquid waterproofers for bricks don’t last. Strong sunlight breaks them down in a year or two. And this chimney certainly is going to get a lot of sunlight.
Yes, I have not only heard of the problem, I had it. The bricks in my chimeny were damp to the touch and oozed moisture, which eventually leaked into my house.
The tuckpointer explained that old bricks (my house was built with recycled brick – common in older cities where old houses were constantly being torn down) can be porous. The fix is to seal them.
And yes, liquid sealers don’t last. Once a year (twice if I’m feeling active) I go up on the roof with a gallon of sealer and a paint brush. It takes maybe 20 minutes to brush it on.
I don’t know about bricks, but the stairway in the concrete building I work in (15 years old) gets very wet on a wet day. Comes right through the concrete.
we installed a cricket when the roof was first redone.
Cricket= small peaked roof structure designed to divert water away from a barrior such as a wall or chimney.
