marson wrote:

it can be hard enough figuring out where a leak is coming from if you

are up there, let alone from a 1000 miles away. i'd suspect the cap,
but who knows. they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease....start
squeakin'!

Amen! I fix a lot of these for a living, and no one but an idiot would
give you a solution from their computer.

You did not say what kind of cap. You did not say what the chimney is
made of (stone, brick, wood) or if it was a site built fireplace or a
sheetmetal "Heatilator" type assembly.

Stone fireplaces usually have masonry caps. These have to be renewed
every few years, but can go as long as 20 if correctly installed.
Stone and brick work can develop cracks that can leak, or can just be
small enough to seep. Wood chimneys often leak at siding cracks or
where nails have popped, or at the cap which is typically sheetmetal.

That all being said, most of the leaks I fix are at the base flashing.
this is the flashing at the bottom of the chimney where it connectsl to
your roof.

Robert