Expert: James Ball - 7/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: i have a galvanized steel chimney (which is the vent for the furnance)even when it was brand new i noticed it leakes sometype of rust down the shingles on the roof. and lots of other people told me they have the same problem. is there a paint or something that can seal this leaking ?

thank you

ANSWER: Hello David, is this an oil fired appliance? if so then the soot contains sulfur and will continue no matter what you do. and most chimneys are made of Stainless Steel (galvanized is ok for Gas)
you may want to talk to your service company about tuning the unit a little better
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi james, yes this is a vent for an furnance which is heated by an oil tank. and just on my street alone there are 15 other houses where i see this rust colored leaking down the roof shigles, (2 of the roofs are brand new)and since we are getting a new roof also, i was wondering if there was anyway to seal around this vent and with what ?does the zinc in the galvanized steel need a special sealant ?  

thank you

Answer
Welcome Back, as you can see this is a common issue when burning Oil.
Have you had the unit tuned? (Does the unit have enough make up air?)That might be the best place to start.
there is nothing I know of for sealing Galvanized or Stainless Steel pipes and this will happen to both (Including masonry chimneys)
James