Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Chimney Leaks

We moved into our newly built home last July, but every time it rains our two brick chimneys leak and water runs down the inside wood framing and onto the basement floor. Last time because it was a particularily hard rain it came through my living room wall and out along my hard wood floors. Our builder has checked the roofing and the chimney caps, but now thinks the water is coming in through the brick. His solution is to use a water sealer, like Thompson's Water Seal. I'm skeptical. It seems like a lot of water to be coming through the brick and if that's the case does it mean they didn't leave the one inch air space between the framing and the bricks, so the water can come down and run out the seap holes. I need help, before our new home is ruined by these leaks. Any suggestions, on next steps or who to contact would be very much appreciated. We've tried to figure it out ourselves by using a water hose, but the roof is so steep and high it's too difficult for us to get up their.

By your discription, I would say the flashing between the roofing material and the chimney is either improperly installed or missing altogether. Your insinct about the watersealer is right on. Brick doesn't allow large amounts of water to pass through. The fact that your builder would suggest such a soulution would make me question his professionalism. Encourage the builder to remove the roofing around the chimney and check for holes or missing flashing.

Your problem needs to be aggresively addressed by your builder. I don't know about Georgia law, but a contractor in my state (Ca.) is on the hook for these types of defects for 10 years. Contractors are required to carry performance bonds and liability insurance for just such events. Don't let him string you along with phoney solutions. You may be in for a battle, so be prepared.

Good luck, Nuc

Brick DON'T leak! Take a brick and drop it in a bucket of water. Let is soak for a week. Then take it out. Dry it off so that it doesn't drip all over the place. Now... hit it with a hammer. Break it in half. You'll see that it's perfectly dry on the inside.

It's the WORKMANSHIP that the problem! There are several things that could be wrong.

#1) You probably don't have full head joints. (That's the vertical joint between the brick.) There could be a hole in an exterior joint where a joint missing... allowing water to get into the cavity. If the water gets in thru a head joint, it goes into the cores of the brick... and that water works its way down... zig zagging and flowing down until it finds a bridge (usually a mortar dropping) over to the sheathing material.

#2) You have no THROUGH WALL FLASHING. This is flashing that is incorporated from the block (in a chimney) down one course and out through (completely out the joint) and under a brick... but ABOVE your roof flashing. Through wall flashing should be used above any window, door or where brick meets a roof.

Don't use any type of masonry sealer on this problem. That's like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs stitches!

Your builder might say the brick are leaking... they aren't... but the WALL IS because of WORKMANSHIP! Even if a bricklayer has been laying brick for 30 years, it doesn't always mean that he knows what he's doing!

Get up there on the roof... and look at the joints. I guarantee you that you'll find some holes... and no indication of any flashing coming through the brick above the roof flashing.

Good luck!

www.southsidebuilders.com

Water simply does not penetrate brick at that rate-99% chance this is your flashing,or lack of.I strongly agree with bric4u and nucman

Thank you all so much for your replies. I've been out of town all week, so I only just saw them. I'm meeting with my builder tomorrow, so your responses will be very helpful in discussing this issue with him. I'll keep you posted on our progress. Again, thanks for the help. :)