Roof / Chimney / leak

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brasilmom

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Greetings,

I got a new issue going on. Our roof was replaced in 2009, so it is a brand new roof and got a brand new "flat" roof as well. Last Sunday (5/6) we had a very heavy rain and ended up finding water in the ceiling in our sunroom. After the rain we did a inspection and concluded that it was not coming from the "flat" roof, as the chimney is above that. Today the roof contractor came by and after inspection concluded that there are point in our chimney that are probably to blame. Now, he could be right and could be wrong. In any event, there are some tuck point that needs to be done and I want to ask about doing it ourselves. I am not sure how else to check for the leaks...:eek:

Thanks. Be well
Miriam
 
Wait for everything to dry out and then take a garden hose up there and water down the areas in question.
Check for a leak before proceeding from one area to the next so you'll know which area generates a leak.
 
If it were mine, I'd first look at the chimney's flashing and top cap--that's where a majority of roof leaks occur. Either deteriorated condition, top cap cracked and leaking, or flashing lapped wrong, or sometimes flashing even completely missing. If tuck pointing is really needed (and causing the leaks), there should be areas where the mortar is almost non-existent.

Miriam is a beautiful name--it's Biblical, isn't it?
 
If the roof was just replaced my first suspicion would be the flashing. Since it's been there since 09', I would look at the sides and look for areas where mortar or brick faces have become damaged. Also, what type of cap is on the chimney, metal or mortar?

As KOK stated, if you can't find visible evidence of problems with flashing or brick, then water test it. Start at the bottom and slowly work your way to the top of the chimney. Do one section at a time.
 
Thank you for all the replies. Today I was out all day and did not get the chance to make a closer inspections and take pictures. Perhaps tomorrow I will do that. The chimney needs some tuckpoint, but I have doubts that this would have be the problem as there are no chunks of mortar or bricks missing. I will take pictures of the flashing and post here for you to review.

The top cap is mortar and the roof contractor did it as part of the job. It all seems to be in perfect condition, but again, I will take pictures and inspect it all.

The flashing appears to be all in place, but my knowledge is very limited to determine if this is the cause or not. The contractor was fast to say that the problem is the chimney itself, but I doubt to be honest.

BridgeMan, thank you for the compliment. Indeed my name is an Old Testament name. Miriam was Moses' sister.

Thanks again for the help and guidance. Be well

Miriam
 
Good morning,

I took another look at it yesterday and also got some pictures. However, I am unable to upload the pictures. I tried first several pics together, it failed. Than I tried only two and also gave me an error message. I will try it a bit later as I need to get ready to school my child.
Thanks. Be well

Miriam
 
Did you try to upload pics from the Manage Attachment area on this site or use an outside pic hosting site?
 
I tried from the Manage Attachments area. I was able to select the pictures, but it failed to load them up. What did I do wrong?
Thanks.
 
Ooops, the pictures were a bit too big. I resize them and hope that now it will work. I will try to provide explanations on each one of them.

P1000759.jpg

P1000758.jpg

P1000757.jpg

P1000751.jpg
 
First picture shows the front of the fire place. The leak was directly on that side, inside the sunroom.
Second picture just to reflect the "flat roof" as it joins the shingle roof. Notice that there are some cracks on the white material. It is also a bit "springy" for a lack of better word. However the leak occurred in a higher part than that. We do not think it is possible that this was the cause of the leak. Nonetheless the contractor is coming back to repair that.
Third picture a side view of the chimney. And fourth picture is the back view of it.
There are some areas where tuckpoint will be needed but it is not major stuff. The day we had the leak it was a very heavy, hard rain.
Thanks for any and all input. Be well
Miriam
 
Miriam, I'm sorry, your roofer doesn't have a clue on how to flash a chimney. The "L" flashing on the outside will channel water up under the counter flashing. Any airborne debris, pollen, leaves, dust will only make it worse. Tell him to look at the SMNACA manuel or go to the shingle MFG's website to see how to properly step and counter flash a chimney. If he tells you he's been doing it this way for years, tell him he's been doing it wrong.
 
There appears to be effervescence on the side of the chimney, indicating water saturation into the chimney chase. Have him, or you, check the area where the brick steps out at the top for voids. A leak in the chase itself will usually show up in the ceiling around the fireplace.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but I do not understand the effervescencce part of it. If by that you mean the white looking thing, that is something my husband did some time ago as a tuck point. I know it looks awful and I told him so. This is something that I plan on doing and am also looking into a sealant to apply once the tuck point are all done. I would love suggestions on proper material to use.
Thanks. Be well
Miriam

oldog/newtrick said:
There appears to be effervescence on the side of the chimney, indicating water saturation into the chimney chase. Have him, or you, check the area where the brick steps out at the top for voids. A leak in the chase itself will usually show up in the ceiling around the fireplace.
Click to expand...
 
oldog/newtrick said:
Miriam, I'm sorry, your roofer doesn't have a clue on how to flash a chimney. The "L" flashing on the outside will channel water up under the counter flashing. Any airborne debris, pollen, leaves, dust will only make it worse. Tell him to look at the SMNACA manuel or go to the shingle MFG's website to see how to properly step and counter flash a chimney. If he tells you he's been doing it this way for years, tell him he's been doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

And when we questioned him that, he said that the flashing we see is just decorative. He did poor for a "decorative" job that's for sure. I do not know what is underneath, but he says that the real flashing is underneath. How can I tell? I know that he is licensed by the manufacturer, and our hopes was that he knew what he was doing. I will, nonetheless look for at the MFG website to find out more.
Thanks. Be well
Miriam
 
Oldog: What do think of the join between the roof and the water deverter above the chimney? I would like to see more on the skylight. This will need to be inspected from inside the attic while it is raining. If the ceiling has vapour barrier a leal anywhere will show up where there are hple in the barrier. Lights, chimneys, vents and things like that.
How do the dish cables get into the roof?
 
The are in the attic where the "problem" area is, is hard to access... imagine that. However, I will try to make my way up there and see if I can inspect that a bit more. As for the dish cables, they were installed before us, so with the older roof. We chose not to have it all removed as we may end up with that choice in the future.

And there are two sky lights there. One is to the left of the chimney and the other is directly behind it. I can try to take a picture later when the baby goes for his nap.
 
It can be very hard to get around chimneys and skylights and the sort, it can also be dangerous, there is a real danger of falls, the ceiling is unforgiving. I would not recommend you go up there while you are alone in the house.
 
Nealtw, I did not venture up on the attic while alone in the house, however I did today. So, it is virtually impossible to access the chimney from the attic as the location of it is behind a vaulted ceiling which vaults into the attic. I can see just a small bit of the back wall and everything appears dry. We got another round of heavy rain but did not last too long. The rain that brought the leak was a long, heavy, and severe storm. The contractor is supposed to come back to do some "touch ups" on the flat part and he does not seem to be concerned about the water. He says it is the chimney itself. I may remove some of the wall paneling in the sunroom to see what is behind it.

Can anyone here also give me some instructions, materials, for the tuck point. I know I can do it, but I want to use the correct materials to make it correctly.

I appreciate any and all help. Thanks. Be well

Miriam
 
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