I have water leaking down the sides of my brick chimney, and it shows up in the basement. Have inspected it from the attic several times, and it very clearly appears to come from around the chimney where it meets the roof and then down the sides of the chimney. Over the years this seems to have caused wood sheathing planks surrounding the chimney to get quite damp and to rot. SO - i definitely figured i needed new chimney flashing - and i'm due for a new roof too. anyway, the roofer upon coming out for an estimate says this to me:
I inspected your roof today. Were you aware of the condition of the actual chimney itself? You said you thought it was the flashing that was causing the leak.
Check out the brick. This chimney needs torn down and either covered over or rebuilt to prevent your leak.
Do you use it for venting a furnace or hot water heater?
The chimney is for the furnace. I paid only about $50K for this house, and it is generally in good shape - i definitely do NOT want to pay a fortune for repairs up there. A new roof w/flashing was about all i had planned for in terms of a big investment around here. I had another reputable roofer up there awhile back and he inspected everything and made no mention of the need for a new chimney! he said they'd flash it and do a new roof and be good to go. Of course, the latest roofing company also does chimneys - and would be happy to do mine. He included nothing else in the email though, no estimate, no explanation of why this would cause the leak. it DOES NOT appear to be leaking from inside the chimney out, but down the sides...
The chimney looks like it may need some work - i'm no expert so can't tell - but i'm reluctant to spend big bucks, and am not sure just what he was trying to say in the email. He never explicitly said this is causing water to come in - or what it would cost - i feel a bit wary.
anyone have experience in this? How does it look to you? What sort of costs am i looking at if i do need to repair - or heaven forbid - replace the chimney...this is not something i want to do!
sounds as if the 1st guy got it right when melding in the 2nd's chimney work,,, repointing may be needed which's not uncommon,,, call your 1st guy back & discuss it,,, get a 3rd opinion if still unsure,,, after i finish repointing mine, i'll wash it & give it a coat of silicone siloxane to wtr-proof the brick.
wait a minute,,, silicone siloxane's a ready-to-use brick/masonary liquid that's got a verifiable track record for many years,,, prosoco, sika, & sonneborn are only a few who manufacture this mtl,,, its often spec'd by many architects & engineers who specialize in restoration work,,, personally, we've used it on many projects w/NEVER a problem,,, you may be referencing silicone joint sealants.
