Water in Chimney / Ash Pits

[TradEddie]

There's simply no way wind driven rain or snow could put 15 gallons of water down your flue.For a 12x12 flue, that would be more than 24 inches of rain, perhaps 20-30 feet of snow. Even with no cap at all, you couldn't get that much. What you show in your flue and fireplace looks possible from driven rain, not what you say you got in your ash pits.

Rain water penetrating the structure below ground level is a much more likely cause. In my old house during severe thunderstorms, I could get a jet of pressurized water squirting into my basement through the water pipe penetration which was 4 or 5 feet below ground. All it took to solve the problem was a very modest amount of exterior grading. Bholler's point about rain water not being groundwater is a distinction without much of a difference, assuming the water table is lower than your ash pits, fixing grading should prevent the problem. Your gutters may have been blocked by snow, letting the entire rain collection area of your roof overflow along the base of your walls. Moving the downspouts away only further suggests that grading is the problem.

TE

 

[bholler]

There's simply no way wind driven rain or snow could put 15 gallons of water down your flue.For a 12x12 flue, that would be more than 24 inches of rain, perhaps 20-30 feet of snow. Even with no cap at all, you couldn't get that much. What you show in your flue and fireplace looks possible from driven rain, not what you say you got in your ash pits.

Rain water penetrating the structure below ground level is a much more likely cause. In my old house during severe thunderstorms, I could get a jet of pressurized water squirting into my basement through the water pipe penetration which was 4 or 5 feet below ground. All it took to solve the problem was a very modest amount of exterior grading. Bholler's point about rain water not being groundwater is a distinction without much of a difference, assuming the water table is lower than your ash pits, fixing grading should prevent the problem. Your gutters may have been blocked by snow, letting the entire rain collection area of your roof overflow along the base of your walls. Moving the downspouts away only further suggests that grading is the problem.

TE

There is a big difference. And the 2 are dealt with very differently. No ammout of regrading or surface drainage will address a groundwater problem.

 

[Beer Belly]

We had a home that had the same problem, but the house was built in 1953 (most solid house we've owned). We would experience the same leak from the fireplace clean out either during heavy rain, or when we had a long stretch of rain.....could never figure it till one day, by accident. I was on the Chimney side of the house, cleaning and hosing down the windows and siding, when my Wife yelled to me that the clean out was leaking......as soon as I stopped hosing, it would stop. So, I would hose down between the Chimney and the House, and the leak would happen.....to shorten this up, I determined that the leak was below grade and dug down where the foundation met the fireplace and about a foot down, found a hairline crack where the two met....water tested, and the water really poured in. Sealed in with Hydro Cement, coated it with UGL, then Asphalt Sealer and Plastic....water tested in a few days.....no leak....back filled, and to this day, no leak.....that was 11 years ago (I know the new owners....may even get to buy back the house....another story)

 

[maple1]

There is a big difference. And the 2 are dealt with very differently. No ammout of regrading or surface drainage will address a groundwater problem.

You can also have ground water, that is above the water table. Perched water. Either way, IMO there is foundation drainage issue going on here. I think.

 

[bholler]

You can also have ground water, that is above the water table. Perched water. Either way, IMO there is foundation drainage issue going on here. I think.

Possibly the comment about it coming up from the floor is what made me think it may not be surface water. But i could be completly wrong. Either way on new construction there is no excuse for it.

 

[Tek20]

There's simply no way wind driven rain or snow could put 15 gallons of water down your flue.For a 12x12 flue, that would be more than 24 inches of rain, perhaps 20-30 feet of snow. Even with no cap at all, you couldn't get that much. What you show in your flue and fireplace looks possible from driven rain, not what you say you got in your ash pits.

Rain water penetrating the structure below ground level is a much more likely cause. In my old house during severe thunderstorms, I could get a jet of pressurized water squirting into my basement through the water pipe penetration which was 4 or 5 feet below ground. All it took to solve the problem was a very modest amount of exterior grading. Bholler's point about rain water not being groundwater is a distinction without much of a difference, assuming the water table is lower than your ash pits, fixing grading should prevent the problem. Your gutters may have been blocked by snow, letting the entire rain collection area of your roof overflow along the base of your walls. Moving the downspouts away only further suggests that grading is the problem.

TE

Updates:

1. Builder installed temporary downspout extensions next to the chimney. 50% of my roof drains near the chimney. The house has lots of peaks. Ash pits dry since.
2. French drain system was installed during construction. I do not have a pump in the pump pit because it was determined the house is above the water table, but builder has offered to install a sump pump in the pit.


Another poster asked what the second smaller flu is. That is for future expansion in the basement. Nothing is connected to it.

We had a few bad snow storms over the last two weeks and no moisture down the chimney. Waiting for melting!