I have chimney problem. Every time we get heavy rains water leaks down my chimney/fireplace and comes out under the marble in front of the fireplace onto my hardwood floors. I thought it was possibly my brick absorbing the water and leaking in. Then I was told that it was the flashing around the chimney, but that was replaced. So I am at a loss as to the real problem.
Thanks for your help
Douglas
Tom: One of three problems, or maybe all three. A little bit of both. One is on the very top of a chimney, you have a crown. If it’s a masonry brick fireplace on the outside and it has a masonry crown on top, after about 25 years of crown, which is just the cap that’s all done in mortar, gets a bunch of cracks in it, and it could be coming through those cracks. The crown might need to be replaced. Flashing all the way around it where it comes through the roof, that’s a roofer deal. Ideal Roofing, they can make custom flashing. Your counter-flashing might be leaking down and might have to be redone there.
Sometimes brick does leach, so you can spray a masonry waterproofer on there to help stop that, but it sounds like the amount of water you’re getting and where it’s showing up, it’s probably going to be on the outside of the brick, and it’s going to be getting behind the marble. That means counter-flashing and flashing with Ideal Roofing.
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