Hi all,
I'm in the middle of a new construction project and, as part of that contract, the subs finished up the fireplace/chimney within the last couple weeks.
This past weekend, after a particular nasty rain storm, I had major water issues at the bottom of my chimney in the basement, as well as above and into the firebox of the first floor fireplace.
Here is a picture of the base of the chimney:
Now, this chimney goes down the outside of the house (i.e., it's not a middle of the house chimney), so there are three sides of brick for about 28 or so feet (2 ft x 5 ft x 2 ft) up the side of the house, and then another 8-10 feet of a full four sides above the roof.
I have confirmed that all caulking along the chimney and the house was done appropriately (vinyl siding). All roof flashing was done correctly. Also, based upon how this leak manifested itself, it's almost impossible for it to have been caused by a problem with flashing/caulking. The crown appears to be sealed and there is a very good chimney cap in place.
I also inquired with our brick supplier and, based upon the type of brick we purchased (high end Belden Brick), he said he believes that the brick should not be that porous.
The bricks away from the house (mainly the 5ft width, and then half way down both sides towards the house, but not against the house) were the ones that were drenched.
I opened up the damper and looked up inside and the cement for the firebox was fairly dry, the flue was dry, but just the brick was soaked.
Has anyone had an experience like this before? Despite my supplier's comments about the porous nature of the brick, I'm going to attempt to prove or disprove his statement by filling a bucket with water, marking a water line, and then submerging two perfectly dry bricks. After 24 hours, I'll pull the bricks out and see where the water level is. I could be completely wrong but, I would assume that, if the brick is indeed porous, I would notice a significant reduction in the water level when removing the brick (based upon the original pre-brick water level).
Assuming the supplier is right, and the brick is not porous to the extent that it would cause that kind of water intrusion, what would be some other points of failure on a brand new chimney that I have not yet looked at?
Any and all ideas are welcome.
I'm in the middle of a new construction project and, as part of that contract, the subs finished up the fireplace/chimney within the last couple weeks.
This past weekend, after a particular nasty rain storm, I had major water issues at the bottom of my chimney in the basement, as well as above and into the firebox of the first floor fireplace.
Here is a picture of the base of the chimney:
Now, this chimney goes down the outside of the house (i.e., it's not a middle of the house chimney), so there are three sides of brick for about 28 or so feet (2 ft x 5 ft x 2 ft) up the side of the house, and then another 8-10 feet of a full four sides above the roof.
I have confirmed that all caulking along the chimney and the house was done appropriately (vinyl siding). All roof flashing was done correctly. Also, based upon how this leak manifested itself, it's almost impossible for it to have been caused by a problem with flashing/caulking. The crown appears to be sealed and there is a very good chimney cap in place.
I also inquired with our brick supplier and, based upon the type of brick we purchased (high end Belden Brick), he said he believes that the brick should not be that porous.
The bricks away from the house (mainly the 5ft width, and then half way down both sides towards the house, but not against the house) were the ones that were drenched.
I opened up the damper and looked up inside and the cement for the firebox was fairly dry, the flue was dry, but just the brick was soaked.
Has anyone had an experience like this before? Despite my supplier's comments about the porous nature of the brick, I'm going to attempt to prove or disprove his statement by filling a bucket with water, marking a water line, and then submerging two perfectly dry bricks. After 24 hours, I'll pull the bricks out and see where the water level is. I could be completely wrong but, I would assume that, if the brick is indeed porous, I would notice a significant reduction in the water level when removing the brick (based upon the original pre-brick water level).
Assuming the supplier is right, and the brick is not porous to the extent that it would cause that kind of water intrusion, what would be some other points of failure on a brand new chimney that I have not yet looked at?
Any and all ideas are welcome.