Water coming in

[bert670]

Back in September, after a very windy and strong rain storm, I had water coming in and dripping onto my stove top from the flue connection where the flue goes through my ceiling. No water damage was observed on the surrounding ceiling. I wasn’t home when the installer came to take a look, but he told my wife it was normal given the weather condition we had the previous few days
. I didn’t think much of it, but it didn’t really sit well with me.



Fast forward to today, and I know have a fairly large puddle forming, now behind the stove, but coming from the same “lip” where the flue connects near the ceiling. We had some strong winds and very wet snow for the past 12 hours or more. Can someone tell me what could be causing this, and if this is at all normal.

 

[xman23]

I had a leak that developed years after the install. It was a 1/2 crack in the shingle. It’s where the shed roof meets the main roof. I damaged it with the ladder on the roof doing a top down chimney cleaning. It was hard to find just because I wasn’t thinking how the shingle could fail.

Hopefully you should’t get any water. If it’s a result of blowing rain, I would wrap with plastic the bottom of the chimney on the roof. Then see what happens in the next rain storm.

 

[bert670]

Sorry forgot to mention this was a new install. The leak in September was 6 months after having the whole stove and flue installed in February ‘22. I’ve burned most of the winter this year and we have barely had any snow, and at concerned that the fact that the first time this winter I didn’t have a fire going when we had snow, that there could be an issue with the install.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You pretty much have to get up on the roof and poke around. It could be the shingles, flashing, pipe seam, storm collar, ridge vent, etc.

I’d wait a few days until the snow goes away before going up there.

 

[bert670]

Thanks for the replies. I guess my main question would be, how is the water getting into the pipe and not the ceiling itself. I’m not familiar with the inner components of how a flue is installed through a roof, so I want to track the water from the source. Can anyone provide a diagram for how the connection works from the double wall pipe through the ceiling to the outer portion?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Here’s one for Selkirk pipe.

 

[TomMcDonald]

Thanks for the replies. I guess my main question would be, how is the water getting into the pipe and not the ceiling itself. I’m not familiar with the inner components of how a flue is installed through a roof, so I want to track the water from the source. Can anyone provide a diagram for how the connection works from the double wall pipe through the ceiling to the outer portion?

Have you been into the ceiling to confirm? I would get up there whilst it's leaking and have a look with a strong torch.

 

[BigJ273]

My guess would be condensation forming due to the extreme cold in the attic coupling with the heat generated from the pipe.

 

[bert670]

There is no attic, this is a straight shot from the ceiling to the roof.

 

[stoveliker]

Is there a vertical seam on the class A above the chimney? That could leak in. The water then leaking down thru the insulation.

That was the case with my class A oil burner chimney.

I siliconed that vertical seam, and that solved things.

 

[Rickb]

Have you been into the ceiling to confirm? I would get up there whilst it's leaking and have a look with a strong torch.

LOL I had to read that twice. I was like you would burn your house down! Then saw you were from down under. lmao.
🤣

 

[trailrated]

There is no attic, this is a straight shot from the ceiling to the roof.

On the roof, where the chimney exits, you should have a rain collar near the base of the pipe. This covers the pipe support piece. Some kind of silicone is usually used around the rain collar to seal it. Could be a leak at the rain collar. Can you provide a pic of the set up as it exits the roof?

 

[GrumpyDad]

Thanks for the replies. I guess my main question would be, how is the water getting into the pipe and not the ceiling itself. I’m not familiar with the inner components of how a flue is installed through a roof, so I want to track the water from the source. Can anyone provide a diagram for how the connection works from the double wall pipe through the ceiling to the outer portion?

Most likely the storm collar seal was poorly done or due to wind, it seperated. Then it leaks down the pipe and can make it's way into the pipe via seams or just run down the chimney pipe into the roof box, where it likely pools a bit until it finds an opening.
None of this stuff is air/water tight. People like to think that but it isnt. So water is getting in there somehow and the likely how is the storm collar. Unless the person doing the work couldnt understand the basic concept of how a pipe flashing should be installed with shingled / asphalt roofing. Most of the videos you will watch on youtube and watching many roofers in my day do flashing incorrectly, that would be my second guess.

Get yourself some solar 900 and caulk that storm collar.

 

[GrumpyDad]

On the roof, where the chimney exits, you should have a rain collar near the base of the pipe. This covers the pipe support piece. Some kind of silicone is usually used around the rain collar to seal it. Could be a leak at the rain collar. Can you provide a pic of the set up as it exits the roof?

Id recommend solar 900 over silicone in a heart beat.
Get two pieces of wood and caulk the two just along the edge using solar 900. Put it outside for six months and come back and work that wood back and forth.
Do the same w/ silicone.
I just did this experiment to find out if the hype was real for solar 900, and it is. I can't recommend this stuff enough.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Here’s one for Selkirk pipe.

View attachment 311027

Selkirk showing a non compliant install. Love it

 

[stoveliker]

Selkirk showing a non compliant install. Love it

or a 20" dia chimney

 

[stoveliker]

Id recommend solar 900 over silicone in a heart beat.
Get two pieces of wood and caulk the two just along the edge using solar 900. Put it outside for six months and come back and work that wood back and forth.
Do the same w/ silicone.
I just did this experiment to find out if the hype was real for solar 900, and it is. I can't recommend this stuff enough.

I would not.
Solar seal 900 is highly flammable.

The point of using silicone is that it is (also) flexible, and is not flammable.

 

[TomMcDonald]

I would not.
Solar seal 900 is highly flammable.

The point of using silicone is that it is (also) flexible, and is not flammable.

Correct. That stuff shouldn't go anywhere near a chimney.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Correct. That stuff shouldn't go anywhere near a chimney.

well CRAP...Now I need to go look at my seal too!

 

[trailrated]

High temp silicone or something of the like should be used at the chimney pipe areas.

 

[Highbeam]

That top silicone seal is a common leak point. I just redid mine this year for the same leak.

Also, the top of the cone is vented. If the winds are heavy enough I can imagine rain blowing up under the storm collar but only resulting in a few drops, not a puddle.

 

[begreen]

Definitely use non-acetic acid silicone. I put a stainless liner top-plate on our brick chimney using a generous bead of GE Silicone II. 6 yrs. later when I removed the fireplace I had to use a flat chisel to wedge apart the brick and stainless. It held so well that it stopped the chimney from toppling during a big earthquake in spite of the chimney top rotating 45º.

I second stoveliker's suggestion. If the chimney pipe has a folded seam, then seal it with silicone for the full length of the seam. I had to do this with an old Selkirk installation on our F602 when we moved into the house. Nothing else worked until I did this.