Water in my Fireplace Insert! *pics added*

[serinat]

quick update:

the third chimney doesn't go anywhere. it is sealed.

the basement fireplace is completely dry.

the dealer guy (they sent the same young chap who installed the darn thing, despite my pleading) concluded that the water was coming in through a crack in the brick (concrete cap? i don't remember). it didn't go into the liner; it went outside the liner, down to the top of the insert, and pooled and splashed there. with the amount of rain we had, the water built up quickly and found its way into the firebox through the pipe and other cracks. after my husband tested out the dealer guy's theory with a hose, we sorta believe him. i'm sorry if i'm not articulating this properly, but i'm a bit worn out from a long day.

the question now: who's to blame for missing this? everyone? no one? our home inspector didn't catch it. the chimney sweep we hired said the chimney needed a little work, but that it shouldn't be a problem for a few years (and he never once mentioned water). the dealer is saying that their job was to install the insert and chimney cap, and that's what they did, so it's not their fault.

(i agree, the install is sloppy, but it looks like it's not to blame for the water.)

so even though we did all the right things and hired all the right people, we're still stuck cleaning out a rusty stove, and looking at paying even more money to get someone to fix the chimney.

 

[elmoleaf]

I don't think you need to pay anyone to fix that. Just get a caulking gun and some good caulk...silicone or phenoseal...and seal around each clay flue liner where it passes through the concrete cap.
Mortar/concrete does not make a watertight seal at the clay liner.

 

[serinat]

From my husband:

There is about 1/8" gap between the top course of bricks and the concrete cap on the chimney. This makes a horizontal crack that surrounds the three flues. There are also some cracks on the top of the concrete cap that have been sealed, which you may see on the chimney photos posted earlier. It's our guess that the water is rolling down the cap and then coming in sideways through the hole since the surface tension of the water makes it want to stay attached to the concrete surface. That or it is finding it way through smaller cracks in the top of the concrete or between the terracotta flue and the concrete. Either way, do you think these cracks resulted from freezing and thawing cycles of water?

When I tested the chimney with the hose, I just poured lots of water around the flue directly onto the top of the concrete cap. And that's when the water dripped as my wife described.

 

[Robbie]

About 2 hours of slow and careful caulking will cure this problem for about 10 years. Make sure and caulk around all joints on newly installed pipe.

They may not be to blame, but the job still looks a little rough to me..........

If you caulk carefully, you won't have any leaks.

Robbie

 

[Hogwildz]

Caulk those corners on the cap closed also. Thats just shabby, and unprofessional workmanship.
Technically, they are not responsible for the cracked concrete or bricks unless they caused it. which is highly doubtful.
They are responsible for the unclosed corners on the top plate. And Morally responsible for not informing you of the cracks in the concrete & bricks if they did notice them.
They should have advised you of the cracks and offered to caulk them while they were up there. Just my 2 cents, and I personally would not have been able to leave a job like that without letting the owners know of the problem.
Just the right thing to do.

 

[BJ64]

Caulk those corners on the cap closed also. Thats just shabby, and unprofessional workmanship.
Technically, they are not responsible for the cracked concrete or bricks unless they caused it. which is highly doubtful.
They are responsible for the unclosed corners on the top plate. And Morally responsible for not informing you of the cracks in the concrete & bricks if they did notice them.
They should have advised you of the cracks and offered to caulk them while they were up there. Just my 2 cents, and I personally would not have been able to leave a job like that without letting the owners know of the problem.
Just the right thing to do.

I agree with Hogz.

That was well put Hogz.

 

[iceman]

i am confused.... how did all that water get in the stove? did it rain for days? have you ever gotten water in the fireplace before the stove???
its hard to believe with all that water in the pics i would think if the installer was right... you shoulda seen water before the stove was installed... caulking is prolly the answer... but if you never saw water before......
%%% edit%%%% maybe because the damper was closed you never saw the water... sorry
just thinking all that water