So Im going to try and describe this as best as possible, bear with me---total newb here, and Ill answer any questions asap.
This is my first season burning. Ive got a jotul 550 connected to a insulated SS flex liner to a sealed top plate on the chimney. The house is an old ranch built in the 70's, the chimney is in the center of the house. The attic is well ventilated, with continuous soffit vents and ridge vents, I can actually see the cobwebs moving in the wind sometimes.
Ive needed a new roof since we bought the place 3 years ago, the flashing around the chimney leaked with every rain storm (and in quite a few other places--I had lots of buckets and plastic up there) and since I knew that was the case I didnt pay much attention to the ice/water that was forming on the shingles that seemed to come from under the chimney flashing. (kinda like a pic in this artice, a little ways down http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/id/1506).
That was for the last 2 months since I started burning, fast forward to today. Now that Ive got a nice new metal roof up there, Im paying way more attention. and now the ice/water is not even making it on top of the metal roof, some water is traveling on the underlayment to the drip edge, some is clinging to the underside of the sheathing in the attic to the soffit and some water is dripping on my insulation. When they were doing the shingle tear off I noticed that the bricks and mortar behind the flashing looked in bad shape, although I did not climb up on the roof to have a close look. The roofers were moving fast and I didnt want to get in their way. The cinder block in the attic now seems damp and has signs of efflorescence. The block in the attic is warm to the touch. The water only shows up when it has been pretty cold or has been freezing temps AND Im burning wood. No fire in my insert and there is no mysterious ice/water.
So my theory is that the hot air in the chimney cavity (above insert and around the liner) is escaping through a crack or cracks in the original clay tiles (cracks were confirmed by 2 different sweeps when we bought the place---which is why it took so long for my first burning season) and then also through broken mortar joints/crappy bricks behind the flashing and condensating when it gets to the cold outside and then eventually making its way to my gutters or attic. and my proposed soultion is to install an air tight, well insulated block off plate that, in my mind, will stop or at least slow the possible warm to cold air flow.
Thoughts, theroies, opinions? Am I even close??
I guess another possible fix would be to take the flashing completely off, repair any bricks and mortar joints and reflash---but that seems like more work than I want to, or honestly, can do. Or could the chimney finally be drying out now that the flashing is working after who knows how many years of the roof leaking??
Thanks guys. and I apologize if Im forgetting something obvious---its happened before
This is my first season burning. Ive got a jotul 550 connected to a insulated SS flex liner to a sealed top plate on the chimney. The house is an old ranch built in the 70's, the chimney is in the center of the house. The attic is well ventilated, with continuous soffit vents and ridge vents, I can actually see the cobwebs moving in the wind sometimes.
Ive needed a new roof since we bought the place 3 years ago, the flashing around the chimney leaked with every rain storm (and in quite a few other places--I had lots of buckets and plastic up there) and since I knew that was the case I didnt pay much attention to the ice/water that was forming on the shingles that seemed to come from under the chimney flashing. (kinda like a pic in this artice, a little ways down http://www.homeenergy.org/show/article/id/1506).
That was for the last 2 months since I started burning, fast forward to today. Now that Ive got a nice new metal roof up there, Im paying way more attention. and now the ice/water is not even making it on top of the metal roof, some water is traveling on the underlayment to the drip edge, some is clinging to the underside of the sheathing in the attic to the soffit and some water is dripping on my insulation. When they were doing the shingle tear off I noticed that the bricks and mortar behind the flashing looked in bad shape, although I did not climb up on the roof to have a close look. The roofers were moving fast and I didnt want to get in their way. The cinder block in the attic now seems damp and has signs of efflorescence. The block in the attic is warm to the touch. The water only shows up when it has been pretty cold or has been freezing temps AND Im burning wood. No fire in my insert and there is no mysterious ice/water.
So my theory is that the hot air in the chimney cavity (above insert and around the liner) is escaping through a crack or cracks in the original clay tiles (cracks were confirmed by 2 different sweeps when we bought the place---which is why it took so long for my first burning season) and then also through broken mortar joints/crappy bricks behind the flashing and condensating when it gets to the cold outside and then eventually making its way to my gutters or attic. and my proposed soultion is to install an air tight, well insulated block off plate that, in my mind, will stop or at least slow the possible warm to cold air flow.
Thoughts, theroies, opinions? Am I even close??
I guess another possible fix would be to take the flashing completely off, repair any bricks and mortar joints and reflash---but that seems like more work than I want to, or honestly, can do. Or could the chimney finally be drying out now that the flashing is working after who knows how many years of the roof leaking??
Thanks guys. and I apologize if Im forgetting something obvious---its happened before
