How do I find and fix a chimney leak?

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Here's an outside shot to show some more info. 

Now that I look, the previously fixed crack in the cap could be questionable.

I have nothing to add except that porch is still awesome.

That looks like OC duration driftwood shingle, good stuff. I don't love the way that the gutter appears to run into the chimney and I think your cap is leaking around at least one of the openings, it's not sealed around the terra cotta stack. I can't believe they didn't install a cricket with the roof replacement, it's code in many states now and would have been covered in what was likely an insurance claim. I'd do the cap first, with the above sheet metal cap the best bet, then check the gutters, and last bet cricket. 

OHSCrifle said:

That looks like a relatively new roof. I can't believe the roofer didn't explain the problem with a WALL against the downhill edge.
 

There is no easy way for water and snow and ice to get around your chimney. It just hits the wall. Literally. Water likes an easy path over the edge so normally you have a "cricket" which just means a couple sloped planes on the uphill side with a small ridge perpendicular to the chimney. 
 

But amazingly.. that might not be the problem here.
 

I think I'd take out the low hanging fruit first. Patching the big HOLE next to the two pvc pipes would be task #1. Then tool some "Shmoo" (your word) into the visible gaps at the top edge of the white sheet metal. Then do the same on any visible cracks on the top and on the face of the brick.
 

Then get a garden hose and spray water onto the shingles for ten minutes and see what happens. If nothing happens spray some water on the cap and the brick for ten minutes and see what happens. 
 

Edit: the concrete cap looks rather rough also. You might try to find a concrete patch and repair product. I don't know a suitable one off the top of my head but I'm sure Google can find one. 

Thank you! (Schmoo is a technical term)

I'm confused about the first recommendation, the "hole". Are you referring to the third circle cut out of the sheet metal where only 2 pvc pipes come out? (Btw, I think those are both unused now, from an old furnace install). 

If that is a possible issue then I can seal it up, but I don't see how it is different than the other 3 open chimneys?

For the cap, I know there are products that are applied like a paint but they are epoxy and they are for sealing the concrete caps. Is something like that what you are thinking for the cap? Or something that's more of a real concrete mix?

grover said:

That looks like OC duration driftwood shingle, good stuff. I don't love the way that the gutter appears to run into the chimney and I think your cap is leaking around at least one of the openings, it's not sealed around the terra cotta stack. I can't believe they didn't install a cricket with the roof replacement, it's code in many states now and would have been covered in what was likely an insurance claim. I'd do the cap first, with the above sheet metal cap the best bet, then check the gutters, and last bet cricket. 

The roof was recently replaced, but it was replaced by the previous owner who was a flipper. And unfortunately the longer I live here the less impressed I am with his work. That would have been 5-6 years ago I think.

By 'metal cap best bet' do you mean something like John pictured?

John Welsh said:

Seems like a good place for caps:

 

I guess I don't really understand how this fixes it completely. It does seem like a solid extra protection idea, but if you had a leak in the concrete cap that would only reduce it, right?

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

Thanks! (And also, I agree haha)

John Welsh said:

Seems like a good place for caps:

 

That second one almost looks attractive.

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

If you have a leak in the concrete cap, depending on how big that overhang is I can't see that water would ever get in there to leak.  Unless we're talking about different things when we discuss "concrete cap"

In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :

I don't have a chimney in my fireplace-less house running all electric and I'm happy to not have the chimney, but.. 

Yours just generally looked naked to me without some caps.  They will keep out rain down the pipe.  I wonder if you are getting water down and the pipe.  The pipe then curves before getting to the actual fireplace.  (No, Santa can't really come straight don your chimney.)  I wonder if at that curvature, the water settles and takes another route to get out?  I'm guessing if it rains hard you don't get water puddling in your fireplace floor.  But, that open, uncapped hole on your roof must certainly capture water.  Where does it go?

We fought leaks on a similar chimney for years (central IL). First we had the flashing re-done. Then we had the mortar re-done. Our cap had been repaired in a similar manner to yours before we bought the house. Once we replaced the cap, the leak went away. I gave it a couple years (add in a new roof and flashing during that time) and finally was confident enough to have the drywall repaired last week. So much work for a fire place we have never used.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

OHSCrifle said:

That looks like a relatively new roof. I can't believe the roofer didn't explain the problem with a WALL against the downhill edge.
 

There is no easy way for water and snow and ice to get around your chimney. It just hits the wall. Literally. Water likes an easy path over the edge so normally you have a "cricket" which just means a couple sloped planes on the uphill side with a small ridge perpendicular to the chimney. 
 

But amazingly.. that might not be the problem here.
 

I think I'd take out the low hanging fruit first. Patching the big HOLE next to the two pvc pipes would be task #1. Then tool some "Shmoo" (your word) into the visible gaps at the top edge of the white sheet metal. Then do the same on any visible cracks on the top and on the face of the brick.
 

Then get a garden hose and spray water onto the shingles for ten minutes and see what happens. If nothing happens spray some water on the cap and the brick for ten minutes and see what happens. 
 

Edit: the concrete cap looks rather rough also. You might try to find a concrete patch and repair product. I don't know a suitable one off the top of my head but I'm sure Google can find one. 

Thank you! (Schmoo is a technical term)

I'm confused about the first recommendation, the "hole". Are you referring to the third circle cut out of the sheet metal where only 2 pvc pipes come out? (Btw, I think those are both unused now, from an old furnace install). 

If that is a possible issue then I can seal it up, but I don't see how it is different than the other 3 open chimneys?

For the cap, I know there are products that are applied like a paint but they are epoxy and they are for sealing the concrete caps. Is something like that what you are thinking for the cap? Or something that's more of a real concrete mix?

Yes hole = 3rd circle. Looks like something got ripped out and it looks like a big rain funnel. Maybe I'm not seeing it correctly though. 
 

I'd definitely try one of those paint like coatings for the concrete cap. 
 

... and yeah flippers DGAF. There is a lot of that going on near me and it's pretty aggravating. 

I'm far from a chimney expert but we did just have to repair the two we have at the new house last summer. From everything our chimney guy explained to me, that chimney looks like there's no way it wouldn't leak. The concrete cap is in rough shape and clearly has been for a long while and those flue tiles proud of the cap should not be crumbling like that. Plenty of opportunity for water to get in and then, as others have said, easy for it to wind it's way into the drywall. 

Again, I don't know what I'm talking about but at the very least I'd have the cap repaired, probably replaced and put covers/caps over the flues. 

Sample:

Sheet aluminum over all the old  concrete.  Lots of caulk at the flues.  And, one giant cap to cover all the flues.  

This then makes this all more of a "ground project" than an "aerial project".  Sure, you have to go up there to measure and go up there to install but the majority of the fabrication is done down on the ground.  Should be a lot less "ladder time" than trying to pull off aerial concrete and then apply aerial concrete.  

Your biggest challenge might be fashioning some fasteners to the front side of the chimney since your ladder only reaches the back of the chimney.  Might be time for a  rental "cherry picker" for this one time fastening to the front side. 
EDIT: the picture at the top shows the metal attached via the sides and this requires the cherry picker.  Maybe, attache the metal from the top by screwing in to the concrete downward.  This might allow for it all to be reached from one side.  

If you do have a cherry picker, then repaint the white brick at the same time (or not.)

Definitely needs a cricket, and that seam is exactly where it's leaking.

There's a few other questionable bits including the sealant on the wash but it's literally leaking right where there should be a cricket

I don't know why, but I never really thought about open flues even possibly being a problem. But now that we mention it it makes sense, if they look as bad halfway down the chimney as they do up here at the top it would be pretty impressive if they didn't leak. The fireplace insert we want to install does need a cap installed over the main flue, but I wonder if I can even cover up the others all together?

Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:

Definitely needs a cricket, and that seam is exactly where it's leaking.

 

There's a few other questionable bits including the sealant on the wash but it's literally leaking right where there should be a cricket

This is what I was afraid of, and while I know I can build a cricket (not before winter unfortunately), how do you know this?

Focusing on the big hole, I somehow missed the cap edges the first time. That's some grade F craftsmanship. Sorry - I know this isn't useful at all.. but damn  

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:

Definitely needs a cricket, and that seam is exactly where it's leaking.

 

There's a few other questionable bits including the sealant on the wash but it's literally leaking right where there should be a cricket

This is what I was afraid of, and while I know I can build a cricket (not before winter unfortunately), how do you know this?

I can't be 100 percent without physically being there but I'm about 98 percent sure.

The leak you showed is on the uphill side of the chimney, inside at the ceiling. That is literally right below where there should be a cricket. It's absurd they didn't put one in.

Basically that bit of flashing is getting a fire hose shot at it the whole time and since it isn't slanted away, the water stays there. A lot of roofing is making the water go away and only be in a place for the shortest time possible. You basically need to view this as a boat because it's constantly under water when there is water.

Add into it freezing temps and what you get is a little water intrusion that freezes. That expands whatever crack the water has gotten into which causes it to leak more.

The other stuff isn't great but you are basically replacing the seat covers when the transmission is out.

You absolutely, 100 percent , no shadow of a doubt need a cricket to divert water from the terrible chimney placement. After a cricket you can assess if there is other problems but regardless.....you need a cricket

OHSCrifle said:

Focusing on the big hole, I somehow missed the cap edges the first time. That's some grade F craftsmanship. Sorry - I know this isn't useful at all.. but damn  

Here's why there's a 3rd hole.

Interestingly, the new furnace is installed with a totally different PVC exhaust pipe that goes to the back of the house by the dryer vent. The furnace is currently hooked up to nothing on the intake side, which means it is just pulling inside air for combustion and exhausting it outside (not good for a few reasons). 

But I cannot explain why they didn't just use the pipes that were already there? Maybe they aren't big enough diameter?

Ok, I'm back at it. And going to fix it for real now. That means a cricket. That also means redoing the interior wall.

Ewwww, water coming in...

Mantle, out.

We've got about an inch of plaster on hardware cloth. Lovely.

Keep going

And going

And going

It's the gift that keeps on giving. Get 'r done.

What's behind the four wood squares located beside (and above) the fire box?

OHSCrifle said:

What's behind the four wood squares located beside (and above) the fire box?

I was hoping someone on here would know that. They seem to be covering ventilation shafts (vertical) that both go down to the basement. Maybe you could open them up and the hot chimney would pull cool air from the basement and heat it and bring it upstairs?

We had this problem several years ago with our rental house.  We had a chimney guy check it out and ended up replacing the concrete cap.  A new concrete cap was installed with a 10 year warranty.  Have not had an issue since.  We did have moss growing on the outside of the chimney.  I see yours is painted.  Was there moss before?  Moss only grows when there is moisture in the bricks, usually from a leaking cap.

Didn't see this the first round.

AntiHero is right.  The cricket is the answer.  He described the problem well.  Sounds like you are on it.

Cracks in the concrete cap would most likely leak at floor level, not ceiling level (because of the air gap behind the brick).  Same for tpotential leaks in the flue pipe (these would almost never be a ceiling leak)

Sorry this is such a big problem for you.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

OHSCrifle said:

What's behind the four wood squares located beside (and above) the fire box?

I was hoping someone on here would know that. They seem to be covering ventilation shafts (vertical) that both go down to the basement. Maybe you could open them up and the hot chimney would pull cool air from the basement and heat it and bring it upstairs?

I'm thinking perhaps this house used to have a oil burning furnace, and the ducts were to bring heat from the furnace into the LR.  They may also connect to the 2 extra flue tiles on the chimney cap to exhaust.