Rebuilding chimney stack???

moneyistooshorttomention

I was told by one workman that he could see water has been running down from one of my chimneys.

I have realised there is a stain on the ceiling of the room at about the point where said water will be running on down.

Its spreading and fast...:mad::eek::mad: (smilies down to I've only recently bought this house:cool:).

I've just been re-reading the survey I had done on this house to see exactly what was said about the roof and I think the clue as to cause of this might lie in the phrase that states modern construction techniques provide for a lead tray to be provided through the chimney stack. Followed by a comment that "there is no evidence of a tray to this stack". He said that if there is damp penetration then the stack would need to be taken down and rebuilt from roof line up to incorporate a damp proof tray.

He commented on roof supports not being up to modern standard, but commented verbally that he felt they should last my lifetime out and not be a problem to me personally.

From these comments, I'm 90% certain that that lead tray is missing and its the cause of the staining ceiling beneath.

I can also see that the neighbours chimneys are shorter than mine (ie maybe they have rebuilt theirs already?) and it seems to me that my chimney stack is possibly not quite as straight as it could be.

1. Does it sound like I've about reached the correct verdict as to what the problem is?

2. If so, how much is this going to cost me? (I'm feeling pretty worried about that right now, because there isn't enough money available to do everything urgent as it is..but I know I will have to squeeze in "unexpected roof expenses" at the top of the Urgent List darn it:().

cyclonebri1

Capping chimneys is very common place, regardless of modern recos, 99% are simply capped with slate and mortar, and are successful

Nothing truly bonds to lead. so the whole chimney relies on it's mass to keep it up there.

southcoastrgi

Cy there is nothing in the OP about the chimney being capped ?

moneyistooshorttomention

I would appreciate further thoughts on this please.

The ceiling stain is still getting steadily worse and I'm about to have a workman in assessing what the problem is.

Trying to stay calm about it....but obviously "A house is only as good as its roof" and right now...:eek:

DaftyDuck

Photos of chimney, roof-chimney join, and water marks would help with diagnosis...

moneyistooshorttomention

Photos are a good thought, but I have no means of taking any (basic mobile only etc). Not that I'd know how to put them up online anyway....

The chimney is taller than neighbours and I wonder whether its leaning very slightly to the left at the top (ie opposite side to the one the tv aerial is fixed to).

Having studied the Homebuyer survey on this house (such as it was:cool:) he mentions that he doesn't think there is a water-catching lead tray in the chimney stack. I've googled images online and I am guessing, from them, that I would spot a sort of greyish line of "summat different" part way up the chimney stack if there was such a tray. I cant see anything like that.

My suspicion is the chimney has been "knocked off balance" very slightly by all these high winds (gales pretty much everywhere...but the winds in this part of the country are a new thing to me after the rather "calmer" part I have come from).

The stain in ceiling is virtually growing by the hour and is sort of tear shape. Its now about 8' long (going along about a foot away from front window and in line with it and the starting point bit is about 2' wide). It's started dripping water through at the originating point this morning:eek:.

Workman has phoned up to say he'll be late and explained why (errr...yep...I can see he has a problem there:() and he'll be late. From the nature of his problem...I just hope he really DOES turn up okay today and am just telling myself "He must realise he should phone again if he thinks he cant make it after all and he hasn't done so...so he WILL be coming at some point".

By now, I've decided that chimney stack is coming down anyway and going to be rebuilt (only to the shorter height of my neighbours ones) and guessing it will be somewhere between £500 and £1,000:eek::(.

I'd better not do any more putting up "fake plasterboard ceilings" over the existing ones (as per your earlier suggestion Dafty...which I am duly acting on) until I have got this sorted one way or another, so I can monitor ceilings okay I guess.

By now I think I've gone so:eek: about the whole "get this house together" scenario and wondering how many more things the vendor lied about (by omission) that I'm almost feeling fatalistic (NOT my normal way of feeling at all...as I'm a "get on and deal with it" sorta person about lifes problems). I'm so p**d off with all the problems this house is throwing at me that its no wonder I bought a copy of a "how to deal with emergencies" book when I spotted it over the weekend...:cool:

Anyways...I'm also wondering about the ridge tiles to this roof and whether any of them might have slipped at all, though they look okay from ground level as far as I can tell.

cyclonebri1

southcoastrgi wrote: »

Cy there is nothing in the OP about the chimney being capped ?

No, you're right, but traying is a technique used to stop water traveling down a cavity, ie. you slant the dpc, lead in this case, towards the outer brickwork. I am assuming that in someway the advice has been to bridge the chimney cavity with lead.

Add in the dork factor and I may be barking.........:D:D

PS, where did KS go?

moneyistooshorttomention

Workman just been in and turns out the water was coming in through a damaged tile. Its duly been replaced already and I've been told that the amount of water coming in would likely have brought down a section of ceiling if it had continued much longer_pale_

Anyways, that's a temporary fix job that should hold until better weather and they are going to quote me for sorting the roof out generally:eek: and...yep...that chimney stack is indeed missing a water tray and needs some sort of work on it:(

Oh boy.....I do hope my bank balance isn't going to take too much of a bashing from this. Fingers crossed that taking all existing tiles off/replacing roof felt underneath and putting existing tiles back on again costs nothing remotely like doing a new roof iyswim:eek:_pale_:eek:

House Moneypit same sentence time....it WILL come good at some point.....only three major unexpected expenses so far...yeh right....

Now where's that vendor.....I'm positively radiating (good) will and "peace on earth to all men" at the moment....NOT....

southcoastrgi

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

No, you're right, but traying is a technique used to stop water traveling down a cavity, ie. you slant the dpc, lead in this case, towards the outer brickwork. I am assuming that in someway the advice has been to bridge the chimney cavity with lead.

Add in the dork factor and I may be barking.........:D:D

PS, where did KS go?

I'm not sure where KS is, I've text him as well but no reply so I hope he's ok.

the lead tray inside a chimney is designed to stop the water that comes in at the top from going down the chimney & making the brickwork inside the house wet, the height outside can vary but must be above the lead flashing, ps chimney's don't have cavities.

generally chimney's lean to the south

moneyistooshorttomention

southcoastrgi wrote: »

generally chimney's lean to the south

I'd never heard of that...what would be the reason for that?

Shall be studying other peoples chimneys in great depth now..

Mine seems to be leaning a little towards the west.

southcoastrgi

it of course depends which way your house is facing, it may not be directly south ie sw/se, it's because that's where the sun is so it dries that side of the morter first