Water seepage thru chimney
 

Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Dan

"Dan" wrote in message
news:F7ZZd.86772$%U2.70410@lakeread01...
Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Dan

Is there a cap on the chimney? If not start there.

Yes, there IS a cap! It's seeping thru the brick!
"SQLit" wrote in message
news:RIZZd.251812$0u.212532@fed1read04...

"Dan" wrote in message
news:F7ZZd.86772$%U2.70410@lakeread01...
Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent
heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to
use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the
job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Dan

Is there a cap on the chimney? If not start there.

You need to find the leak , flashing, tuckpointing and concrete caps are
most likely the cause. Dont put a sealer on the brick it can retain
water and spall the brick when it freezes and affect your tuckpointing
repair. Chimneys are the first to go as moisture attacks it from both
sides along with nightly freeze thaw cycles. Get a pro or get up there
and look, even extremely small hairline cracks in mortar will allow in
alot of water in, as will cracks in flashing. It can be an expensive fix
if the mortar has deteriorated within.

"Dan" wrote in message
news:F7ZZd.86772$%U2.70410@lakeread01...
Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Could be bad flashing, or damaged or missing mortar. UGL does not address
the problem, nor does Thompsons *anything* as most of their waterproofing
is very poorly rated. You really have to examine the roof, the flashing,
seams in the cap, and the possibility of driving rains coming into the stack
directly. Try running a hose around the base of the chimney where in comes
thru the roof - that is a common leak area.

Check BIA web site.
Their Tech Notes section will probably give more info than anywhere
else.
I would not recommend surface sealants.
See Roger Taylor post.
TB

www.bia.org

Besides a stainless steel cap it is actuall a good idea to cap the masonry
at the top of the chimney to reduce moisture intrusion into the brick and
mortar from the top.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Check BIA web site.
Their Tech Notes section will probably give more info than anywhere
else.
I would not recommend surface sealants.
See Roger Taylor post.
TB

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 10:27:13 -0600, "Dan" wrote
(with possible editing):

Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Dan

This is not what you want to hear, but I had a similar situation. We
have a two flue chimney in our living room which is connected to the
living room fireplace. We had a water leak which would manifest
itself after either a driving rain or in the winter. We tried to
identify the source - first a crack in the top of the chimney. We
tried fastplug, then finally covered it with a sheet of aluminum. We
replaced all of the flashing, then replaced a few bricks and
repointed. Nothing worked. We had every mason in the area look at it
and try to fix it. Finally, we tore the top section of the chimney
down and replaced it. That worked.

The moral - don't spend too much time and money trying to fix it. If
the obvious things don't work, just rip off the top part and rebuild
it.

Our experience only. YMMV.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

Dan wrote:
Help! I noticed water seeping inside thru my chimney during a recent
heavy
rainstorm. Can anyone suggest how to fix this problem. I was going to
use
UGL's "DryLok", but it is not available in clear; Thompson's Advanced
Multi-surface waterproofer comes in a clear finish- would this do the
job?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Dan

It would help if you could be more specific about what happened. Where
did the water appear? In the fireplace? Wet spot on the ceiling near
the chimney?