Expert: James Ball - 1/7/2009

Question
Today after several hours of heavy rain,  I noticed water was getting into the firebox even though the damper was closed. (It rained for about 5 or six hours before water showed up in the firebox and there was no driving winds)  Immediately upon this discovery, I found that the carpet in front of the fireplace was wet eventhough the hearth was dry.  Is it the cap or the crown causing the water in the firebox?? how is it getting in fire box with the damper closed??  Why does it take several hours of rain before the water gets into the firebox??  How is the carpet getting wet??

Answer
Hello Stacie, it is hard to tell from what you describe, is this fireplace below grade (under the ground level) if so it could be coming through the walls or floors. if not then it could be coming down the chimney or through the chimney. It could even be the roof flashing.
I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have.