Was my roofer lying to me?

[hilly]

Just a bit of background:
The house I live in is about 35 years old and the chimney is a brick chimney. From about 2000 to 2005 the chimney went unused. In the summer of 2005 I had the roof redone on the house and a few months later, after a lot of rain, I had a leak around the chimney. I called the roofer, he came back and while he did redo the flashing he said it was more likely that the chimney got very wet because it was not being dried out by being used. He suggested I seal the outside of the bricks with a sealant of some sort.
My question has two parts.
1)Now that I am using the chimney (with a stainless liner) do I need to seal it?
2)If I need to seal it, what should I use?
Thanks very much for all your help.

 

[begreen]

Is this an interior chimney? I can't say whether the roofing work was the cause of the leak or not, but I doubt he is correct about the non-use. Many, many chimneys go unused, often for decades, without leaking and without sealing the bricks. Sounds like he might have been blowing a bit of smoke.

 

[hilly]

Yes, it is an interior chimney. At the time it was blocked off with insulation at the bottom and we had had a lot of rain (perhaps a month straight) so his explanation made sense to me at the time, but my experience with such things is/was zero.

 

[hilly]

Any other opinions suggestions?

 

[webbie]

Just a bit of background:
The house I live in is about 35 years old and the chimney is a brick chimney. From about 2000 to 2005 the chimney went unused. In the summer of 2005 I had the roof redone on the house and a few months later, after a lot of rain, I had a leak around the chimney. I called the roofer, he came back and while he did redo the flashing he said it was more likely that the chimney got very wet because it was not being dried out by being used. He suggested I seal the outside of the bricks with a sealant of some sort.
My question has two parts.
1)Now that I am using the chimney (with a stainless liner) do I need to seal it?
2)If I need to seal it, what should I use?
Thanks very much for all your help.

Well, I don't think it was because it was not used...

BUT,

you are on the right track with the sealing. There are special products made for sealing chimneys.

You should check or seal these areas:
1. The crown, which is the cement top.
2. The masonry itself, which can usually be done with a simple silicone solution.
3. The flue, by means of a chimney cap

If the crown looks to be in good shape, the same liquid used in #2 (available in paint or hardware/masonry store/yard) should do the job. If it has big gaps in it, you have to repair and then seal or use the special products such as the crown seal listed here.

 

[elkimmeg]

I get paid big bucks to solve what other cannot especially leaks .
(Little joking here) It is true that eventually water can saturate the bricks and mortar. and that sealing can help prevent this. But if the bricks and motar are saturated the sealers cannot be applied till they dry out.
Also the sealer is good for about a year or two. The other part about being not used and never getting dried out because it is not used is pure BS. I also am wordering if anything he has told you is true? Is there a cricket behind it? explaine it location in relationship to the roof. After hearing the excues, I would tend to doubt his abilities as a roofer. He did not get it right the first time nor the second attempt. I am willing to bet . He has not woven in the shingles into the flashing correctly or counter flashed correctly and is making it up the excuses. As far as tarring everything in site and gunking it up that is the last resort. It could be as sinple as the lead flashing not tapped tight to the bricks and wind blows water in behind it.
Lots of times the cricket behind it, is shingled and flashing woven in, incorrectly. I have seen overlay jobs where all they did was just lay the shingles over the existing flashing never weaving them in, then using roof cement to attempt to seal it. All flashing and roof flanges should be woven in the upper layer, called the active layer. A lot of short cuts are made out there.

 

[hilly]

Here's a couple of pics before the roof was fixed in Dec. 05. The water was showing itself inside at the bottom left side of the chimney. The guy that fixed it was not the same guy that installed it and it has not leaked since, so I'm hoping it's good better now, but I just wanted to do anything I could to prevent any future leaks. Thanks for all your help.

 

[hilly]

...and the second pic

 

[elkimmeg]

Judging from picture 1, there was a bottom flange of flashing added as evident in picture 2. That probably tucks under the first one.
also those face nails in that bottom flange, their nail heads should be dabbed with caulk. It looks like the second guy figured the water was blowing under the flashing boot and added the flange, Top left chimney something is sticking out What is that? Does the top of the chimney exit on the ridge board or a few inched short of it?. Other than that it looks like a neat job
These type of bricks are pouris and can absorbe water, In my area they were called new used or capes. There has been incidents where they have become saturated with water.

 

[hilly]

In that first pic, the stuff at the top I think is the flashing along the top edge of the chimney. The chimney exits a few inches below the peak.
From your comments then Elk, can I assume that you think it's useful to seal the chimney?
Thanks again for all your help.

 

[saichele]

I'd always heard (and did it on my last house) that you were supposed to cut a channel into the chimney, bend the edge of the flashing, and insert it into the channel (as opposed to just tarring/caulking)

Steve

 

[elkimmeg]

Steve you are correct that is when installing new or replacing flashing. However his,which looks in great shape,
was imbeaded when the mason built the chimney Caulking as s being suggested is between the over lapping areas of the flashiong against the chimney to prevent wind blowing water behind them. They sure look tight I in your case, I would use a good clear silicone like geoseal caulk. Then again, if not presently leaking leave it alone. Why try to improve that in which is working? I still would dab those exposed nail heads,a leak waiting to happen

 

[Sandor]

I'd always heard (and did it on my last house) that you were supposed to cut a channel into the chimney, bend the edge of the flashing, and insert it into the channel (as opposed to just tarring/caulking)

Steve

You are ABSOLUTELY correct.

 

[HarryBack]

also, the flashing looks like aluminum, but maybe Im wrong. Most of the masons we work with will only use malleable lead or copper...they say it lasts longer, and doesnt oxidize and erode due to electrogalvanic action as quickly as aluminum does.

 

[berlin]

Lead is my first choice for just about any flashing application. While not very common here in the US, lead flashing is almost all that is used in europe, especially in germany.

 

[hilly]

Well I know more about chimneys and flashings (the type that goes on the roof) than I ever thought I would. In a response to some of the posts:
1) When it was redone the roofer cut the flashings into the chimney a bit deeper than they were before.
2) I worked in a hardware store years ago and all we sold was aluminium flashings. I'm not sure you could even get lead (except for plumbing vents) or copper flashings.
3) The leak was about a drip/second and it stopped minutes after the rain did, so I was a bit skeptical about the saturated chimney explanation. I think I will seal it though (along with the two face nails Elk pointed out).
Thanks for all the help.

 

[mtalea]

I hate to be the one to say this.........But I have been roofing homes for 20 years....and from the pics ur brick and mortor looks in good shape...but the roofers flashing job is not......I should say that he flashed with metal good from the look of the pics but he caulked the return back into the brick instead of re mortoring.....there can be flaws in the caulk....I never use caulk.....I cut out all mortor and re-mortor the flashing in as if I had rebulit the chimney. Start there. Also what type of metal did he use for the flashing?

 

[mtalea]

Sorry posting again on this issue......from the pics it doesnt look like lead flashing and isnt copper.Therefore as far as I am concerned,he should reflash the whole thing.And after looking at the pics again....he has shingles that are raised on the sides which says they are to tight. Please understand my views are solely from the pics provided....Good Luck! Matt