I have a main house chimney (1930's) that is having a water problem. There are two liners in it one which has a furnace and water heater that are used regularly and one that is a coal stove that I never use.
I have lived at this house 2.5 years. When I moved in I noticed tarry drips on the chimney in the part through the attic. And that someone had spray foamed the part where the chimney meets the roof. I suspected there was a problem with the flashing and I would need to repair. I do have a receipt dated 10/24/2003 where a 316TI chimney lining was installed for the existing furnace.
The problem only appears to happen in the winter, and after myself and numerous others have gone on the roof and looked at the flashing I have pretty much eliminated that as a problem. The flashing looks very tight and good. The top of the chimney was slightly concave so a small amount of water pooled, but the seal seemed very tight and we redid it so the water would flow off the top this fall.
But this winter we have water coming out like crazy again. It leaks from all 4 sides almost equally (another sign it is not flashing).
In doing research and looking at it my newest suspect is that the liner has a hole in it and moisture is getting trapped in the chimney and leching it's way out. Is that possible? If I could identify what the tarry substance is that might help and confirm. Are chimneys lined with something that would look like this when mixed with water?
The other possibility is condensation. The chimney might be warmer and moisture in the attic air is condensing on it. The attic is ventilated good but not great (it is a hip roof so the ridge vent is small and I don't believe there are enough soffit vents, but at least it has some). The attic is insulated good but not great (there are some can lights and only one layer of insulation so warm moist air from the house might be getting up. The bathroom fan is not vented through the roof but is right tight to a separate ridge vent 30 feet away from the chimney and there are no water stains on the wood were it exits.
Another question is if the water is coming out the chimney why do I have water stains and drips on the wood above it? Well this might actually be condensation of the water leaking from the chimney? Or proof that it is condensation after all? The chimney exits at the very top of the roof right next to the small ridge vent.
I am leaning slightly less towards this idea as if I look close it almost looks like the water is coming through the motor. However the motor all still seems solid.
I am hoping someone might have seen this before and can give me some clues what it is! Thanks
I have lived at this house 2.5 years. When I moved in I noticed tarry drips on the chimney in the part through the attic. And that someone had spray foamed the part where the chimney meets the roof. I suspected there was a problem with the flashing and I would need to repair. I do have a receipt dated 10/24/2003 where a 316TI chimney lining was installed for the existing furnace.
The problem only appears to happen in the winter, and after myself and numerous others have gone on the roof and looked at the flashing I have pretty much eliminated that as a problem. The flashing looks very tight and good. The top of the chimney was slightly concave so a small amount of water pooled, but the seal seemed very tight and we redid it so the water would flow off the top this fall.
But this winter we have water coming out like crazy again. It leaks from all 4 sides almost equally (another sign it is not flashing).
In doing research and looking at it my newest suspect is that the liner has a hole in it and moisture is getting trapped in the chimney and leching it's way out. Is that possible? If I could identify what the tarry substance is that might help and confirm. Are chimneys lined with something that would look like this when mixed with water?
The other possibility is condensation. The chimney might be warmer and moisture in the attic air is condensing on it. The attic is ventilated good but not great (it is a hip roof so the ridge vent is small and I don't believe there are enough soffit vents, but at least it has some). The attic is insulated good but not great (there are some can lights and only one layer of insulation so warm moist air from the house might be getting up. The bathroom fan is not vented through the roof but is right tight to a separate ridge vent 30 feet away from the chimney and there are no water stains on the wood were it exits.
Another question is if the water is coming out the chimney why do I have water stains and drips on the wood above it? Well this might actually be condensation of the water leaking from the chimney? Or proof that it is condensation after all? The chimney exits at the very top of the roof right next to the small ridge vent.
I am leaning slightly less towards this idea as if I look close it almost looks like the water is coming through the motor. However the motor all still seems solid.
I am hoping someone might have seen this before and can give me some clues what it is! Thanks