| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Mutton |
Rain getting in chimneyWe have a straight chimney stack (one storey) which comes straight down, no bends at all, to the multi-fuel stove. After today's high winds and heavy rain, water is running down the outside of the stove pipe to form puddles on the top of the stove. (It is running through the braid sealant stuff that fills the gap between the stove pipe and the plate across the chimney.) see pic.As of several years ago, we had a rain protector guard thing put on top of the chimney. (see pic) Do we need a better one? Or was it such nasty weather nothing would have stood up to it. (The stove is not running at the moment, so nothing to dry the rain out of the chimney before it reaches the stove.) If we do need a better chimney rain guard thing, what would you recommend? Being in the lea of woodland (its to the west of us), on a down slope, we do also suffer a bit in easterly winds in terms of the chimney not wanting to draw, though we recently found that opening the windows helps a bit when we are lighting the fire and getting it well started. 
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| vegplot |
Looks like the rain is coming down the outside of the flue so the cowling isn't going to offer a great deal of protection. You can get flexible high temperature sealant which can be applied at the flue/chimney joint after first raking out any old mortar or sealant.
http://www.fluesystems.com/sundries/indexfirecement.htm Edit: Quite often a conical cowl is fitted to around the flue itself directly above the chimney join like an umbrella. This mean the flue can move a little in the chimney without affecting its water tightness Edit 2: Storm collar, that's the name of the beast. |
| Mutton |
Don't quite understand your answer, finding it hard to picture. Think I haven't given enough details and you are assuming the stove pipe goes out the roof. Fairly brainless today, so please excuse slow uptake.
The chimney pot is a brick one (which is not obvious in the photo given the light today!). It is on top of an internal chimney stack which is lined with stacked up rings of concrete that slot over each other (the chimney man told me). We took out a useless fireplace and the chimney man made the fireplace taller, standing the stove in the fireplace and putting a couple of feet of pipe up from the stove to the existing chimney, with a metal plate across blocking the chimney. |
| vegplot |
Ah, I see I assumed the flue went straight from stove to cowl. If you can get to the chimney I'd take a look to see if there are any cracks or loose mortar and fill those with suitable cement or mastic and check the firmness of the chimney pot.
The storm collar I as thinking about looks like http://www.fireplaceproducts.co.uk/Chimneys-Flues-Liners/Storm-Collar-Cravat-type5/ but this is used around flues rather than chimney pots. |
| Ty Gwyn |
Yoy need a proper Cowl,the SW rain is lashing through that wire cage on your chimney. |
| Mr O |
I would guess that the water is coming in around the flashing at the top of your chimney, your cowl hat will make no differance if this is the case, get up there and take a look at the flashing. |
| Ty Gwyn |
If the water is getting in through the Tray or the Flashings,you`ll have damp walls in the attic,or even lower down.
A proper H cowl stops rain from entering the flue,the Flashings don`t do that job,but looking better at your photo,there should be an open Purp -vertical joint in the brickwork,on the tray,to leave out any water that comes down through the brickwork. |