Who do i ask about chimney structural issues?

Davewils82

I live in a victorian terrace house in Bristol. I have had a look up in the loft during all this rain and i can see there are some (hopefully) small wet patches on one of the chimneys inside the roof line. This has obviously been an issue for the previous owner as it looks like theres some bodge fixes up there. All the chimneys are non functional. 

I'd like to get someone out to look at the chimneys to see if :

a: the caps are working or not
b: they are in good condition externally and internally
c: there aren't any issues to be concerned about (leaks etc). 

Who do i go to for this? I can find plenty of chimney sweeps online, but i dont think they would be the right people to talk to?? Likewise would a general builder be knowledgeable enough?

Ebe_Scrooge

I'd have thought that any decent builder should be able to give you advice.  In terms of leaks specifically, a roofer might also be able to help (going on the basis that sealing where the chimney emerges from the roof, replacing lead flashing etc., is a bread & butter part of a roofer's job, and chimneys are basically "part" of the roof).

But overall, I would say a good general builder should be able to help - as always, ask for recommendations from friends/neighbours/local community Facebook group.  Also, bear in mind that any good tradesman will probably have a fairly long waiting list.

MikeJXE

The most likely cause is the lead flashing around the chimney, may have slipped out of the brick joints 

Section62

Davewils82 said:

I live in a victorian terrace house in Bristol. I have had a look up in the loft during all this rain and i can see there are some (hopefully) small wet patches on one of the chimneys inside the roof line. This has obviously been an issue for the previous owner as it looks like theres some bodge fixes up there. All the chimneys are non functional. 

Externally (i.e. outside the roof) are the chimneys rendered, or bare brick?

In a Victorian build there wouldn't necessarily be a damp proof barrier between the external part of the chimney and that part inside the loft.  At that time this wouldn't have been of great significance as any moisture from rain penetrating the exposed brickwork and working its way down would be evaporated by the heat from the flue.  With redundant chimneys (or some of those with modern liners) there isn't the heat to evaporate any moisture, hence there can be a build up which appears as damp patches on the bricks.

The problem can be worse with chimneys that are bare-brick externally, but rendered/painted chimneys can also suffer the same issue if the render/paint is deteriorating.

It could be something as simple as defective flashing, but you'll want to avoid a situation where you get a general builder in who just replaces the (expensive) flashing which isn't the root cause of what you are seeing.

I'd be inclined to do nothing more than monitor the situation for the time being.  Perhaps wait for a dry spell in the summer so the brickwork is thoroughly dry, then observe the chimney during heavy rain.  If there is any sign of running water then it would very likely be an issue with the flashing.  If no dampness appears until a few days later then lack of damp proofing may be the cause.

If the chimney is rendered and you can clearly see cracks etc (from ground level) then look into getting it re-rendered.

stuart45

Damp proofing could be like this.
Chimney DPC Tray being fitted. - YouTube