Chimney Leak Repair

I moved into my home in 2004 and at that time it was about 18 years old. The home inspection revealed a bent chimney cap which the sellers replaced, probably at a cost of around $50. A couple of good storms later and rain water was pouring down my chimney into the fireplace. I left a nice yellow plastic bucket in the fireplace and went about finding someone to fix it.

My first call was to a chimney cleaning/repair company this seemed like a logical place to start. They cemented around the chimney cap and charged me $90. They also suggested a sealant on the entire outside of the brick chimney and quoted $200, I decided to hold off. Next rain storm and water again poured down the chimney. The chimney repair company suggested I call a roofer next as they believed it must have been the flashing where the roof connects to the chimney.

The roofer agreed with the chimney company and gave me some nice new flashing at a cost of around $150. Of course, more rain, more water and a nice full bucket in the fireplace. Several estimates later, including from chimney specialists and roofers and I decided to go with my local handyman who was determined to find a solution. He removed the siding from either side of the chimney and yelled from outside "Hey, I can see into your house!" There was a gap of up to an inch on either side of the chimney wall. I basically had a free standing chimney! My great handyman filled these gaps with huge amounts of sealant and replaced the siding to butt against the chimney.

Lots more rain, no more leaks, and my handyman was about $250 richer. However, this may sound like a happy ending but unfortunately not so. A couple of months later as Thanksgiving was approaching I was excited to light my first wood fire in the fireplace. It took a little while to get a good draught going but finally it caught. I started piling on the logs and enjoying the glow.

It started slowly but before long spirals of smoke were filling my room. I opened the windows immediately and watched in amazement as smoke poured from between the bricks. My good old yellow plastic bucket to the rescue, I doused the fire and called a wood stove company. $4000 later, I'm the proud owner of a cast iron wood stove with a shiny silver lined chimney.