Hi All:
I am in the process of having an entire home renovated. We do not live in the house yet. Yotul insert is installed in an exterior chimney and home is being heated by a gas-fired bodeen unit keeping the house at about 58 degrees for plastering. We live in New England, and the temp outside lately has been in the teens at night, and 20 to 30 during the day. We had a rain storm over the weekend. After the storm, I notice some water on the hearth - perhaps it came in at the top of chimney between stainless steel flue and the chimney itself somehow, I'm not sure. Inside of the stove is dry.
I go in the house today and notice that the brickwork above the insert is wet. The insert itself is wet with condensation, and the bricks above it appear to be wet is some spots, not with condensation, but as if water is seaping out from the bricks themselves. Not sure what is happening, but the water on the brickwork does not look like condensation, though waterever is happening, I am somewhat sure, is related to the difference in temperature between the outside or the coldness of the chimney and the inside of the house.
Any ideas as to what is specifically happening? Is this "sweating" normal? Should it go away once we get into the house and start heating and using the fireplace on a regular basis? The apparent leak is one thing, but this sweating is not something I've seen before. This home that we are renovating hasn't been lived in for about 3 years.
Thanks for the help on this.
I am in the process of having an entire home renovated. We do not live in the house yet. Yotul insert is installed in an exterior chimney and home is being heated by a gas-fired bodeen unit keeping the house at about 58 degrees for plastering. We live in New England, and the temp outside lately has been in the teens at night, and 20 to 30 during the day. We had a rain storm over the weekend. After the storm, I notice some water on the hearth - perhaps it came in at the top of chimney between stainless steel flue and the chimney itself somehow, I'm not sure. Inside of the stove is dry.
I go in the house today and notice that the brickwork above the insert is wet. The insert itself is wet with condensation, and the bricks above it appear to be wet is some spots, not with condensation, but as if water is seaping out from the bricks themselves. Not sure what is happening, but the water on the brickwork does not look like condensation, though waterever is happening, I am somewhat sure, is related to the difference in temperature between the outside or the coldness of the chimney and the inside of the house.
Any ideas as to what is specifically happening? Is this "sweating" normal? Should it go away once we get into the house and start heating and using the fireplace on a regular basis? The apparent leak is one thing, but this sweating is not something I've seen before. This home that we are renovating hasn't been lived in for about 3 years.
Thanks for the help on this.