damp breast

[Steve]

When I bought my house 3 yrs ago there was damp in the chimney breast in the living room. We put dark wallpaper over it to hide it until we could afford to have the chimney top sorted out.

Anyway, this year in March we had the chimney top totally refurbished - new flashing (previously too low), new pointing and all 3 flues capped off. Also had all the ridge tiles re-bedded. The roofers noted that the other half of the chimney was also in a bad way. . .

However, the house is a semi and the other half of the chimney is still in a bad way. Yesterday I stripped the wallpaper off the chimney breast in the living room and it is wet to touch, 8 months on from having the chimney done. There is damp halfway up the wall across the middle 2 thirds of the breast, then there is damp in both bottom corners of the breast, at the sides of the fireplace.

Is it possible that water is coming into my chimney from next door? I cannot think of any other way water can be there. The house next door is rented and I have written to the landlord before, and recieved a reply because I was asking permission to replace their dilapidated boundary wall (which they refused).

 

[HERTS P&D]

Yes very possible, I went to a job today where the house holder had her lounge wall brought back to brick to dry out due to the neighbour having a faulty chimney leaking into her lounge.

(I was there to see her faulty toilet)

Andy

 

[joe-90]

There are millions and millions and millions of open chimneys (inc mine) that are no bother to anyone. Explain why that is. Why do you think that your chimney attracts water when all the others don't? You have 4 times the surface area in your chimney than you have on the wall - so why doesn't the wall get wet?