Chimney & Fireplaces/Firebox Leak

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Expert: - 8/5/2010


Question
Our home was built in 1953.  We have a woodburning fireplace in basement.  We get water seepage in and around the fireplace during & for a short time after a heavy rain. We did a water test by laying hose on grass next to sidewalk by chimney.  After 30 min. it began to leak inside the firebox at the horizontal joint between two layers of brick on the back wall of the box about 12" above the floor.  We had 10 feet of sidewalk removed, dug out around the chimney & discovered it wasn't on a proper foundation & was pulling away from house so we had a pier installed, repaired a crack on foundation wall, put a seamless membrane on the foundation wall from grade down to the footing, filled it in & poured a new sidewalk.  It was recommended that we tuckpoint both sides of the chimney from sidewalk up to the roof but we haven't done it yet. It rained today and the leak is still there but not quite as bad.  We have a cap on the chimney and roof is 2 years old.  Don't want to pay to tuckpoint if we have to dig up the whole thing again.  We don't use the fireplace but don't want water seeping into the firebox and then finding its way to the basement floor.  Any ideas?

Answer
Ben,

Could be a couple of things. First, the chimney crown. This is the very top surface of the structure that sheds water away from the open flue or hole in the chimney. In as much as you have a cap prevent water from coming down the flue, the surface will crack, deteriorate and chip away until water can be absorbed like a sponge rather shedding as designed. This can be fixed by a CSIA certified chimney sweep.

The second is the exposed surface of the chimney above the sealing work you have already done, again, said chimney sweep should be able to help you here with a sealant spray. Please use the links at the bottom of my home page at www.brooks-hearth.com to find a great sweep in your area. Best of luck.

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Randy Brooks

Expertise

Inspection of Masonry, Pre-cast Tilt-up, and Factory Built Fireplaces as well as Free Standing & Insert, Gas, and Wood Appliances. We also provide Hearth Fire Loss Investigations, Litigation Support, Consulting Services, Flue Sweeping, Installation and Repair. Additionally, I’ve been a chimney sweep for 23 years, service and install hearth appliances as well as being recognized by the Superior Court of California as an expert witness.

Experience

Brooks Chimney Sweeping Since 1989 Ojai, CA Owner / President www.brooks-hearth.com

Organizations
NCSG, MEMBER,(National Chimney Sweep Guild), Member since 1990, Board of Directors representing Region 6, (CA, NV, AZ, UT, OR, WA, ID, WY, MT, AK and HI,) 2004-2011, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. CSIA, BOD (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Board of Directors, ethics committee chair, 2004-2005, executive committee member, Secretary, 2005-2006, Vice President, 2006-2008, President, 2008-2011. HPBA, MEMBER, (Hearth, Patio, & BBQ Association,) since 2002. NFPA Member, (National Fire Protection Association) Since 2009. Technical Committee member for the 211 Standard.

Education/Credentials
California State Licensed Contractor, C61-D34, #750710. http://www2.cslb.ca.gov C.S.I.A., (Chimney Safety Institute of America,) Certified Chimney Sweep, #2580. Held since 1990 re-certified in ‘93, ‘96, ‘99, ‘02, ‘05, '08,'11. http://www.csia.org F.I.R.E. (Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Certified Inspector, #FP-006. Held since 2000, re-certified in ’03, ‘06. http://www.f-i-r-e-service.com Fireplace Investigation, Research & Education Service,) Advance Expert Consulting & Witness, certificate, ’05 N.F.I. (National Fireplace Institute,) Certified Gas & Wood-Burning Specialist, #133851. Held since 2002, re-certified in '05,‘08. http://nficertified.org

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