Venting an unused chimney

FreeBear

helpyhelper said:

I had my chimney capped last spring but now the weather is colder the chimneys are dripping from condensation. I noticed the bottom of it, which was just blocked with a board (by a previous owner), didn't have any vents. I put a vent in but it is still dripping, although slightly less. Should the caps normally let enough air through for ventilation if there is a vent at the bottom?

Also, the top of the chimney is difficult to reach, so if I need more ventilation up high can I put an air brick going into the loft or will that create condensation issues up there?

You should have started your own thread instead of necro-posting....

But in answer to your question(s) - Assuming you've used a cap similar to the one pictured above, you don't need any ventilation holes near the top of the chimney. Just a small hole where the fireplace used to be.

If you have condensation dripping off the chimney breast, I'd suspect one of two issues - Either your heating is turned down real low or water is getting in at the top and running down the inside of the flue. In the latter case, check the flaunching, pointing, and any flashing - You may need a roofer or chimney specialist with ladders to get up there to take a look.