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Leaking chimneys
Leaking chimneys! – two types- masonry (brick) and prefabricated
Solving a leaking chimney can be sometimes difficult. There are many reasons why a brick chimney can leak. Let’s take a look at a few.
1) Missing chimney cap. Nearly all masonry chimneys are constructed without a chimney cap. Simply, if it’s not in the code books, the builders will not install it. This is great for aftermarket chimney sweeps but is terrible for a home owner. A missing chimney cap allows water to enter your chimney through the flue. This water can stand and collect mold and deteriorate mortar chimney components. A missing chimney cap is guaranteed to allow water into a chimney.
2) Cracked chimney crown. The chimney crown is designed to shed water from the top of the chimney. This material is usually constructed by the chimney mason and is many times brick mortar. The problem with using brick mortar is that it has a very weak tensile strength. When the exterior air freezes and thaws, the mortar will crack. These cracks will fill with water after heavy rains and the problem amplifies when it freezes and thaws because ice will expand. The bottom line is that cracked chimney crowns is one of the leading causes of chimney leaking problems of a masonry chimney. They usually cause more problems than a missing chimney cap.
3) Damaged chimney flashing. The chimney flashing is designed to prevent water that saturates the chimney from entering the space between the chimney and the roof. If this occurs, usually water will damage the ceiling just above the fireplace. Usually the chimney flashing is constructed with sheet metal and is secured to the chimney with a sealant. Many times the sealant will deteriorate and begin to leak or the sheet metal will rust and cause leaking. Either way, chimney flashing is another way that a chimney can leak.
4) Saturating bricks: Did you know that bricks are very porous? Water saturates brick during heavy rains and the bricks soak the water like a sponge. IRC building codes even require weep holes installed on typical brick walls. These weep holes allow saturated water to drain outside the brick wall. The problems with chimneys are that weep holes can not be installed because of the unique nature of a chimney composition. Unfortunately, water saturated the bricks and damages internal components of the chimney. The best way to solve this issue is to apply water repellant to the chimney. You need to apply a repellant that allows the chimney to breath. Basically, water is prevented from entering the brick, but water is allowed to escape from the brick. Call us to order your chimney water repellant.
5) Chimney cricket: IRC building codes R1003.20 require a chimney cricket to be installed if the chimney is wider than 30 inches where it intersects the roof. A chimney cricket is designed to shed water away from the chimney when it travels down the roof. If the chimney is wide and there is no chimney cricket, water will pool at this location and leaks will occur. Many times home builders do not realize IRC building codes have this requirement and mistakenly omit the chimney cricket.
6) Roof leaks: Many times, the roof will leak and water will travel down the roof rafters. When the water reaches the chimney, the water saturates the ceiling. Many times homeowners believe the chimney is leaking when actually the roof is causing the leaks.
Prefabricated Chimneys
1) Missing chimney cap. All prefabricated chimney are installed with chimney caps. There are times when these caps rust or are blown off. If a prefabricated chimney is missing a chimney cap, this is especially dangerous because the water saturates the metal chimney liner. If you have a prefabricated chimney that is missing a chimney cap, it is very important to address this problem immediately.
2) Damaged chimney chase cover. The chase cover of a prefabricated chimney is one of the major reasons why they leak. If you catch the rusting in time, you might be able to resurface it with a rust inhibitive material. If the rust has occurred too long, a full replacement is required.
3) Another common leaking issue is the sealant around the chimney lining pipes and storm collars. When water hits these areas, if the sealant has deteriorated, the water path travels down the liner. The liner can rust and cause many problems.
