It’s raining like crazy in Pennsylvania right now. I found water in my basement and it appears like it’s leaking right at the flue pipe. There is some water trickling on the inside of the fireplace also. The heating system was replaced within the last year and so was the roof. Don’t know if it could be a leak in the roof near the chimney, some kind of crack or fall down the chimney, if the water is coming right down the chimney, Or some thing else. Would like to know what your opinions are.
Leaking flue pipe
- Thread starter Juke
- Start date
Need a picture of the roof. Where I'm at it's like pulling teeth to get a roofer to actually repair/replace flashing. Standard procedure seems to be slobber tar over it and call it good.
Pretty sure the chimney flashing on my roof has never been replaced, house was built in the 1920s... It's got holes rusted through it even though the roof is 10 years old. If I knew who did the roof I would kick them into the next state.
Pretty sure the chimney flashing on my roof has never been replaced, house was built in the 1920s... It's got holes rusted through it even though the roof is 10 years old. If I knew who did the roof I would kick them into the next state.
I’m not sure of the chimneys lined all the way up or not. How would I figure that out? I don’t know what the termination is either. If you mean where the water is ending up, it’s draining over into a some corn hole that’s about as big as a bucket. We don’t have a sump pump we just have the hole. The roof was replaced within a year and the company seem like a good company that did a good job. I know that doesn’t mean they couldn’t of screwed up the flashing but…
Think the ours are saying what type of flue and does it have a cap and other critical components ?
The most obvious is the cap in place ? Post some pictures of yours …….top and where it meets the roofing.
Caps are know to blow off.
The most obvious is the cap in place ? Post some pictures of yours …….top and where it meets the roofing.
Caps are know to blow off.
greenskeeper
Well-known member
The amount of rain we got here in pa, I’d say from your pictures everything is probably sealed up. Water could be getting into the porous concrete and collecting at the bottom of the chimney
BillK
Well-known member
Just replaced the cap on mine for the same reason but it was 40 years old and had a good life.
What is the heating appliance. furnace or boiler? If the unit was replaced a year ago the masonry chimney should have been re-lined. Check your install manual on the appliance. Was the install permitted and inspected? Make and model of unit?
danski0224
Well-known member
The metal one has nails driven through the top, and the vertical part doesn't appear to be more than 2" long. Overhang around the perimeter is hard to judge.
The nails through the top, sealed with caulking, is a hallmark of a ****** installation.
The concrete cap is supposed to overhang the brick by at least 1" all the way around, forming a drip edge. This keeps water off of the bricks at the top. Not a very good installation. Looks like some efflorescence on the right side, a sign of water intrusion.
danski0224
Well-known member
That rust stain is an indication of a long term problem that was there long before the rain storm. Looks like a barometric damper on the side. I'd be willing to bet that the chimney is lacking a liner. Moisture problems are aggravated if the chimney is exposed to the outdoors on 3 sides from the ground up.
Too much draft will reduce flue gas temperature, causing condensation and extensive (and expensive) chimney damage from the inside out. It takes about 20 years, and by the time someone notices or figures it out, the damage is extensive. Usually ruins the boiler too, due to corrosion.
In my area, older homes originally fitted with coal fired heating boilers may not have a clay liner in the chimney. This is very bad when a newer boiler is installed with a lower flue gas temperature.
Yes, there could be a flashing problem. Yes, if there is a concrete chimney cap, it might be cracked. No way to know without putting eyes up there.
Fireplace can also have failing masonry and/or exceptionally porous brick. Might also have poor flashing at the roof line or lacking a cricket to divert water.
I have seen way too many ****** flashing jobs done by so-called roofers. Second place would be ****** HVAC installs with flue problems.