On 7 Jun 2006 15:26:40 -0700, "grodenhiATgmailDOTcom"
wrote:

"grodenhiATgmailDOTcom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Help!! We just had a huge rain storm here in the north east (over 4
inches since this morning). This afternoon we noticed a lot of water
coming out of the ash cleanout doors in the basement and making a mess.

We had a similar problem about a month ago. North Central Connecticut. Tons of
rain. We have no cover over the chimney, and the rain comes right down. In our
case, it seems that the Ash cleanout door had not been used for about 40 years
and was full to over the top of the door. It was a messy job to clean it out.
Dead birds, etc. I guess that normally the water sits at the bottom of the ash
box and evaporates due to the nearby heat. After cleaning it out we have had
even more torrential rain, but nothing has leaked out. Gotta make a note to
clean out the box again in 40 years.

On a separate item, I noticed water in the attic coming from the chimney. I
went up the ladder with some caulk thinking it was the flashing, but it turned
out to be the grout between the bricks was missing in many locations, letting
the water to go right through. I patched up the holes with some redi-mix
cement. Seems OK now.

Time to start building an Ark!

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