Water coming down chimney when it rains

[sedalbis]

Hello all,

After some advice please. We have an open fireplace in our bedroom and the chimney has recently been sealed by a roofer who is a friend of a friend. The way he sealed it was by taking off the chimney pot, covering the hole with slate and then cementing over the top. He put an air brick in the chimney stack at the top to allow airflow. He took photos while he was up there to show me once he was down and I'm no expert by any means but it looked fairly well sealed off.

Since the work was done we haven't really had any heavy rain, but today it's been bucketing down all day long and tonight there are drips of water coming down the chimney into the open fireplace in the bedroom. It is about 1 drip every 5 to 10 seconds so not a HUGE amount but still enough to cause concern.

Is it likely that the rain water is getting in through the air brick? To do this it would have to be falling very sideways. I can't think where else it could be getting in but the chances of it getting in through the air brick just seem really slim to me. Could it be pointing to a bigger problem?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[stevethejoiner]

Unfortunately I think getting up there to look the only way to find out. The cement could have shrunk as it dried out and cracked, the pointing could be missing, it may be nothing to do with the work he did, there are many causes.

 

[vinn]

As above.

OP, you were advised about these matters in 24 sept, and a much better method of doing things was explained to you at that date.
Yet, Hey ho you go and do something else, something that can actually be detrimental to the condition of your stack and any other terminals & flues on that stack?

Doubtful that moisture is entering through the new air brick - but unless you show photos of whats been done its impossible to comment.
You would be well advised to go up and photo all the stacks, flaunchings and flashings.

 

[sedalbis]

As above.

OP, you were advised about these matters in 24 sept, and a much better method of doing things was explained to you at that date.
Yet, Hey ho you go and do something else, something that can actually be detrimental to the condition of your stack and any other terminals & flues on that stack?

Doubtful that moisture is entering through the new air brick - but unless you show photos of whats been done its impossible to comment.
You would be well advised to go up and photo all the stacks, flaunchings and flashings.

You advised putting caps on the chimney pots. We did not want that. We wanted to seal the chimneys, which has been done. All flues are vented at the tops and bottoms for airflow. I believe there is nothing wrong with the way we've done it, how can it be detrimental please?

 

[vinn]

First some photos please, and then I'll point out what I mean.

 

[^woody^]

In the absence of photos, I'd suggest that whoever done the work has not flauced the stack sufficiently to cause the rainwater to run off, but rather soak in. Nor used a mix strong enough to provide water resistance. Or if he has just filled the space left from the pot, then there is a shrinkage crack in the flauncing.

Water is holding on the top and dripping out the underside.

Capped pots are infinetly better as then, in addition to the risks from the above, this allows air to go right to the top of the flue and out, and not just to the height of any air brick in a side.