A friend of my son's has discovered water leaking along her chimney all the way into the basement. It's not currently dripping, but she said about five hours ago the wood beams and ceiling around the chimney in the basement were saturated and dripping.
She's not sure if she should call someone out today, nor does she have any idea who to call. I figured I'd post her dilemma here in case any of you knowledgeable folks have some suggestions.
Comments ... #
Integrity Roofing did a great job for us. Very competent and reasonably priced.
I'd climb up on the roof with a tube of roof & flashing sealant and a putty knife and seal the hell around the chimney and flashing.
posted by anonymouscoward on Jan 13, 2013 at 11:18:10 am #
That does nothing for the underlying problem though. If it's been that wet before the wood will rot and possibly grow mold.
posted by lfrost2125 on Jan 13, 2013 at 11:20:25 am #
Most roofers won't come out until the rain has stopped and dried.
DON'T smear sealant all over the chimney flashing. It will just make it a PITA when the roofer gets called back to actually fix the problem, which is likely the step flashing and counterflashing on the chimney.
Calling the roofer today (assuming the guy giving the estimate can make it out in the next 24 hours) will give the estimator a better picture of where the leak is occurring (unless this is a problem many months in the making and there are water stains to show the source of the leak).
Agreed with slowsol that slapping on sealant is only a Band Aid, and at best a short term fix. I had a chimney at a house where the real culprit was the mortar between some bricks that had eroded and led to a leak behind the flashing, and not only did I need roof work but chimney work as well.
The good news (if any) with a chimney area leak, to address the point lfrost125 made, is that the heat from the chimney will dry out that area pretty quickly and reduce the potential for mold. That is, unless this is a long-standing problem that is just now getting notices; if this has been going on for many months, especially in the months without using the furnace, you might have some significant rotting and mold up there.
One last bit of potentially good news: the problem may be exacerbated by the temperature fluctuations the past few days plus the heavy rain. I once had a problem with a leak near a skylight, and it only happened 2-3 times a year when it rained like hell after a warm spell in winter. The rest of the year it never leaked, even in the heaviest summer storms.
posted by historymike on Jan 13, 2013 at 01:40:35 pm #
We had a similar leak a few years ago. Husband called first a plumber, then a roofer, than a HVAC man. What we needed was a chimney sweep. Birds had fallen down the chimney and blocked the air flow. Whatever you do leave it to the pros.
Thanks all. This will be a temporary fix as the roof is being replaced this spring.
I've passed along the suggestions and told her about TT as a resource. :)
I would strongly encourage more than one estimate. I got screwed several years ago when a new roof over our porch started leaking. A roofer we hired scammed us by saying the roof had flaws and needed to be redone for $800. I was hesitant, but he offered a warranty, and I relented. It leaked a couple of months later in the same spot when we got our first rain of the season. He would not honor the warranty, and we just didn't have the money at the time to take him to court. We called another roofer, and he said the problem was a small opening where the roof attached to the back of the house. He only charged us about $50 to fix it, and it has held after all these years.
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