Rain dripping on to top of woodburner

gterr

Hi there,

We are having really wild weather here: storm force gales and heavy rain. Last two days we've had water dripping on to the flat top of our new woodburner. (This is in a new-build with purpose built masonry chimney with liner, rain cowl on top.) I thought it must be a leak between the top of pipe and the masonry chimney, sending water down the outside of the stove pipe and on to the top of the stove. However, I'm now collecting th water in a dish and it's brown and smoky, so (presumably?) is coming down the inside of the stove pipe but leaking out of this somehow and ending up dripping on to the top of the stove? Any ideas how serious this is? I will call back the builders after New Year anyway, but just wondered how invasive the repair is likely to be?

Could it just be that the rain cowl can't keep out the storm-driven rain? This wouldn't surprise me, but I can't see how the water would end up on the outside of the stove pipe in this case.

Many thanks for your time.

Rik242

If you are up Scotland way I would think it would be the rain driving down into the cowl, wait until it dies down and check it out.

John_3:16

If you have a registry plate it may leak to one edge then come through some fire rope etc?

I asume you burner is not on as it would evapourate away.

gterr

Hi there, thanks for the replies. Yep, we're in Scotland! And yes, the stove isn't lit just now because although we've got storms it's surprisingly mild.

I can fully see why rain would be getting in to the pipe through the gap between the rain cowl and the open top of the pipe, but why is the rain not then dripping into the interior of the stove, rather than on to the top of it?

Already thinking we'll need a different type of cowl. Any ideas? I don't seem to see H pots around these days, though they were common when I was a child, living in windy places.

Williwoodburner

Hi,
think the problem must be with the cement seal between the chimney pot and the liner, otherwise like you say it would come down the inside of the liner into the stove.
Suggest you get onto the roof and have a look at the pointing.
We have a H pot and you can still get them, saw them somewhere recently but cant recall where (must be getting old).

regards

Willie.

w50nky

As the above posts but also.
This can also happen if the liner is fitted upside down as it allows water ingress through the liner. Assuming you have a flexi liner that is. If you are going on the roof to check the flaunching it is easy to see when up there.

H pots examples here..

http://www.wtknowles.co.uk/products/productDetail.asp?productID=61&categoryID=1&subcategoryID=1&styleID=

grahamc2003

As above, but I''d add another (unlikely) possibility. A bit of a longshot, but are you sure it's not condensation on the register plate? If your stove is off, and your room warm from other heating, and humid from a few people breathing, and the register plate (i.e. the weather) is cold, it is certainly a possibility.

gterr

Thanks to all who replied. Since this is a new build, recently finished, I'll call the builder back to look at it, rather than go on roof myself.

It's the fact that the water drips on the the (outside) top of the stove yet is brown and smoky, that's the concern, since it suggest water's getting into the pipe but then leaking out of this and ending up on my stove top. If water can leak this way, then presumably smoke could, too?

Thanks for the suggestion of condensation, but there':rotfl:s too much water for that, I think. We collected about a pint yesterday during the gales and rain. Today indoor and outdoor temps are similar to yesterday, but it's not raining. Stove top is dry

Thanks for link to H-pots.

JohnnyJet

I have the same problem, it hasn't rained for a week and every time I light the fire I get water dripping through the cement sealer and flue pipe. It seems to happen more whenever I put another log in the stove. Don't think it's rain water, rather condensation but don't know how to fix it.