Chimney fix-up

[Learninggal]

Guys - Need help to figure out my never ending issues with our 100 year old home in NY. The home has stucco intact but we have paint chipping off the brick chimney. We closed off the fireplace but the 50 Gal Rheem hot water heater and HVAC furnace still use the chimney. New roof 5 yrs ago but unfortunately, there is still a very slow leak every time it rains into a bedroom where the chimney & roof lines meet. A local stucco contractor said the only way to fix it up is using 3/4 nails to attach a metal mesh. Then Parex 202 Armourwall Stucco Base and then paint over it. My concern is putting more nails into the brick chimney which over 100 yrs is obviously isn't in a perfect shape as you can see in the pictures. He said without the metal mesh, nothing will stick and I'll be back to the same place after 2 yrs of doing a job

Also, he wants to redo our flashing and claimed most roofers don't go deep enough which is why we are still seeing a leak. Pls see videos below where the roofer himself redid the flashing 10 months ago. The stucco contractor may be right as it seems the roofer went only 1/4-1/2 inch deep based on what I can see with these videos. Stucco contractor wants to go 3/4 inch deep

C0029

gumlet.tv

C0030

gumlet.tv

 

[d300]

I'm with the stucco guy. 3/4" would be my minimum. If it ain't right water will find a way in.

 

[Jackfre]

In your area with an exterior chimney the paint may be degrading due to condensation from the furnace and water heater. Is the chimney lined with a metal liner?

 

[Learninggal]

Yes metal liner was added last year. What are your thoughts on installing the metal mesh? Also here's another picture showing the circle which is where water leaks into the bedroom wall

 

[d300]

Curious. That may be where the water shows in the bedroom but, not necessarily where the water enters the wall. Have you considered stripping the chimney so you can actually see what the brick looks like? There could be cracks/voids hiding.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I don't see step flashing running up the roof. Remove the parging until you find brick. Install step flashing under the shingles. Then parge over the exposed brick. That would be the proper way.

 

[Learninggal]

Step flashing could be a good idea. I know the water is not entering where the bedroom leak is and we can actually see it when we go to the attic, but it’s very hard to determine if it is coming from the roof or right behind the chimney. One option could be rebuilding 10 foot of the chimney but I guess that could be over 30,000.

 

[Learninggal]

One more - the contractor said no need to remove the tar on the chimney and he'll simply apply the mesh, stucco base and paint all over? Isn't that bad practice?

 

[Kaizen]

There's a reason why you don't see the amount of stucco in the North as the South. IMO everything mentioned done is bandaid's as you have no idea what is below all of those cracks. Any flasing at the roof line should be double flashed and cut into the chimney with a masonary blade and then caulked. The other side as mentioned should be step flashed. IMO i'd rip it all off on that roof and start from scratch.
That corner on both sides all the way down the chimney needs attention imo the whole way down. The house and chimney will always move differnt which is why you see cracks between them. I have no idea what the best thing to do there is but my first guess is corner flashing with 2 pieces over it to each side.
As said above i'd want to take off that stucco and see what a mess it needs. might just need to be tuck pointed or might need total removal. You might want to get some quotes for a power vent or other venting and just remove the whole thing as you are not using it for a fireplace anyway. The good news is you can rent a lift and a few tools and rip it apart in a day or two. When i rebuilt mine i gave away the bricks and people were happy to take them. The good news is its not an emergency imo so you can save and plan.

 

[Highbeam]

Have you considered ripping that whole chimney down? It's always going to be a pain. Metal pipe is far easier to make leak free. Even if you have to build a chase for the metal pipe.

 

[Learninggal]

I did think about removing the chimney but will that affect our sale value and if it's marginal like <30k, it doesn't matter. However, the chimney spans basement to 2nd floor and attic so once chimney is taken out, they will have to build the exterior wall and not sure if that's a 50k expense or much higher. However, this approach should put this 10yr old issue to rest once and for all and give us a more cleaner way to avoid leaks

 

[Learninggal]

After chipping off the loose stucco, can we apply the metal mash on top of the current paint or is it necessary to take everything out down to the brick?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

To be flashed properly you need to take it down to brick where the flashing goes. Then stucco can be applied to cover the exposed brick once the flashing is repaired. The flashing is applied in two pieces, one piece covering the shingle and vertically up the brick. The other covering the verticle part of the roof flashing and tucked in between horizontal bricks, then pointed with new mortar. Same with the step flashing. Its not terribly difficult, just time consuming, which is probably why it wasnt done correctly. I'll see if I can find a pic and edit if I do.

How To Install Metal Roof Flashing Against Brick - Hunker

Metal roof flashing is a galvanized sheet metal that is bent at a 90 degree angle about 8 to 12 inches on each side of the angle. It comes in 10-foot lengths, or, for step flashing, 6-inch lengths. It is used to seal the gap between walls and intersecting roofs.

www.hunker.com

 

[Uncle murph]

Guys - Need help to figure out my never ending issues with our 100 year old home in NY. The home has stucco intact but we have paint chipping off the brick chimney. We closed off the fireplace but the 50 Gal Rheem hot water heater and HVAC furnace still use the chimney. New roof 5 yrs ago but unfortunately, there is still a very slow leak every time it rains into a bedroom where the chimney & roof lines meet. A local stucco contractor said the only way to fix it up is using 3/4 nails to attach a metal mesh. Then Parex 202 Armourwall Stucco Base and then paint over it. My concern is putting more nails into the brick chimney which over 100 yrs is obviously isn't in a perfect shape as you can see in the pictures. He said without the metal mesh, nothing will stick and I'll be back to the same place after 2 yrs of doing a job

Also, he wants to redo our flashing and claimed most roofers don't go deep enough which is why we are still seeing a leak. Pls see videos below where the roofer himself redid the flashing 10 months ago. The stucco contractor may be right as it seems the roofer went only 1/4-1/2 inch deep based on what I can see with these videos. Stucco contractor wants to go 3/4 inch deep

C0029

gumlet.tv

C0030

gumlet.tv

You need to find a real roofer which is far easier said than done.Water leaks can be maddening and very often are not as they appear.The leak could easily be way above the flashing or below it but doing a bunch of expensive “parts cannon”type repairs may leave your wallet lighter without accomplishing anything. I have repaired a lot of these and would recommend absolutely ruling out the wall/chimney joint as the source. If you were closer , I would fix it.

 

[Learninggal]

is there any video that shows what alwaysFlOoReD is describing? So far, the chimney guy is going to come back and redo the flashing and I'd like to share any possible videos.

 

[Learninggal]

There's a reason why you don't see the amount of stucco in the North as the South. IMO everything mentioned done is bandaid's as you have no idea what is below all of those cracks. Any flasing at the roof line should be double flashed and cut into the chimney with a masonary blade and then caulked. The other side as mentioned should be step flashed. IMO i'd rip it all off on that roof and start from scratch.
That corner on both sides all the way down the chimney needs attention imo the whole way down. The house and chimney will always move differnt which is why you see cracks between them. I have no idea what the best thing to do there is but my first guess is corner flashing with 2 pieces over it to each side.
As said above i'd want to take off that stucco and see what a mess it needs. might just need to be tuck pointed or might need total removal. You might want to get some quotes for a power vent or other venting and just remove the whole thing as you are not using it for a fireplace anyway. The good news is you can rent a lift and a few tools and rip it apart in a day or two. When i rebuilt mine i gave away the bricks and people were happy to take them. The good news is its not an emergency imo so you can save and plan.

Tuck pointing may not be an option as the chimney isn't in a great shape on the inside and the chimney company said that it will likely be worse on the outside and if he steps out the stucco, the condition could be bad enough that pointing isn't an option and he will have to rebuild and put in new bricks. We are sticking with doing wire mesh & stucco and he's also going to cover the current flashing upto the roof line with stucco