Chimney Leaking Water Into Basement

It is enough opening to put my hand.
Chimney leaking water into basement. Either the chimney completely emptied into my basement or the water actually came in from somewhere else. 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. Mar 30 2014 by matthew stock. Once you ve determined that water is leaking into your basement or crawlspace the next thing you need to do is determine the cause.
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. Water can seep through the ash door also known as a dump door and enter into the basement space. Then it rained this morning. Gap allows the clay flues to expand and contract from repeated heating and cooling without cracking or cracking the crown.
The chimney is not fully protected from the outside elements with a quality chimney cap. Here are some of the most common sources of excess water in the basement or crawlspace. Have your unit inspected by the expert team at. I can touch the bottom of the ash pit and i felt puddle of water which is eventually making its way into the basement.
This is especially true if you do not use your fireplace. Call a chimney sweep for inspection and if needed repair. If coming from leakage at roof level or above likely have water coming down the chimney into the firebox too then is leaking through the ash disposal. 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.
It has an angled top to shed water and it overhangs the brick to keep drips off the chimney sides. How to waterproof a leaking chimney. It surrounds the clay flues but doesn t encase them. 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.
It s worth noting that i removed all water in the chimney and the basement yesterday evening. 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. 2 many chimney leaks are from cracks in the chimney crown. If the stringer is un level water can travel a ways and even wind up at the.
When leaks begin to appear in your basement make sure to consider the affects your chimney is having on it. 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.