Chimney Leaking Water Into Basement

Here are some of the most common sources of excess water in the basement or crawlspace.

Chimney leaking water into basement. When leaks begin to appear in your basement make sure to consider the affects your chimney is having on it. In firebox look kfor wster staining coming down chimney or wetness in firebox if wet there may be coming down brick to basement expecially if you have an ash chute. If the stringer is un level water can travel a ways and even wind up at the. I would be looking to see if the chimney cap is missing or rusted through or if the crown top mortar cap on chimney is leaking.

Where i see water leak in the basement behind the wall there is ash pit with a clean out door about 6 inches by 6 inches. Gap allows the clay flues to expand and contract from repeated heating and cooling without cracking or cracking the crown. If you have discovered that water is leaking into your basement from your chimney it might have crossed your mind to just get rid of the chimney altogether. It s worth noting that i removed all water in the chimney and the basement yesterday evening.

Mar 30 2014 by matthew stock. Water can seep through the ash door also known as a dump door and enter into the basement space. Then it rained this morning. Unless located in the tropics where home heating is unnecessary and fireplaces unheard of almost every house has a chimney of some type.

Yet when i got home this afternoon the basement had lots of water but the cleanout had only a half inch of water. The chimney is not fully protected from the outside elements with a quality chimney cap. How to waterproof a leaking chimney. It has an angled top to shed water and it overhangs the brick to keep drips off the chimney sides.

I can touch the bottom of the ash pit and i felt puddle of water which is eventually making its way into the basement. Water could get into the attic or above your ceiling and either drip to the floor or roll along the stringer the long piece of wood that spaces out the roof trusses and runs the length of your house. In basement look for effloresence lime buildup or rusty stains on concrete slab leading toward chimney or on outside of chimney showing where water has run. Homes with fireplaces have a chimney to vent them and the whole assembly extends into the basement or crawl space to accommodate an ash pit and clean out below the hearth.

Once you ve determined that water is leaking into your basement or crawlspace the next thing you need to do is determine the cause. If that thought has crossed your mind it is important to remember that the fireplace is not the only thing making use of your. Either the chimney completely emptied into my basement or the water actually came in from somewhere else. 2 many chimney leaks are from cracks in the chimney crown.

Call a chimney sweep for inspection and if needed repair. It is enough opening to put my hand. This is especially true if you do not use your fireplace.