Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 2/17/2009

Question
We have had a leak from the chimney (an old non functioning chimney) a few times when there has been extreme rain, or rain duruing a thaw.

We dug around the  chimney and sealed with waterproofing and some kind of thick poly ( not sure, my husband did this!), this has apparently not fixed the problem.

The water is coming in through the old flue door into the basement, and it is coming up from below. Would putting in a sump pump righ near the chimney help this problem at all? We would like to avoid having the whole yard dug up due to $$$.
Thanks in advance!
Jennifer

Answer
Hi Jennifer, at this point a sump may be your best option.  If water is coming through the flue and you are not using the fireplace you can try sealing up the flue to stem the flow of water into the basement. Another option would be to make sure that your footing drain around the perimeter of your foundation is working properly and ground water is being diverted around your foundation.  This is the best method to keep water out of a basement.  I hope this information helps. feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com