I have the same problem and hope the following may help with your decision making.

Severe damp has appeared in both bedrooms.

The roof was completely done - new felt, tiles and leadwork. The chimneys are rendered and painted using Weathershield

Original roofing company came back and checked for leaks and found none. Our loft was boarded so it was easy to check for any leaks around the chinmey. I checked myself and the dust and wood was bone dry.

The came back again after it got worse and fitted ventilated cappings to the chimney pots as both chimneys are in use.

They came back again as it was getting worse and refitted the lead to a higher level around the chimney. It continued to get worse.

Got a second opinion, who checked and said everything was done correctly and the only other option was the damp was soaking directly through the chimneys.

The decision now is to waterproof both chimneys - they are built on the outside of the house, so internal chimney stack.

The ingress of water is very severe, with water now running down the walls. I would appreciate any expert opinion on what to use to waterporoof the chimney and if it is possible to do it while the chimney is still damp, or do I have to wait till the summer?

Both bedrooms have original fireplaces, are centrally heated and double glazed. A dehumifier is also used to try and lessen the problem.

Please help, we are getting desperate!

Naranto, please don't hi-jack another thread as it confuses the issues and benefits no-one.

I've split your thread, from the original.

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Apologies

When you say the chimneys are in use.

What fires/fuel are you using.

The same pic above the ceiling would be good.

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One has a gas fire fitted in the dining room and the other an electric fire in the lounge. Both chimneys were swept before the fires were fitted.

Here is a picture of the chimneys, apologies for the angle



Not sure what 'pic above the ceiling', do you mean in the loft?

You don't need a flue for an electric fire, so that one isn't used.

Is the flue with the gas fire lined, if not you should put the fire out off action until the flue has been checked for leaks.

Yes the loft it's that above the first pic.

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Photo of area in loft.



Staining is from the waterproofing/dry rot done a few years ago,. I have checked the timbers with a damp meter and there is not evidence of water ingress. HTH

Don't make sense, the ceiling is wet but nothing showing in the loft, unless it's under the boards.

Are there any pipes that maybe leaking and running along the ceiling.

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No pipes run around here. In fact there is no pipework whatsoever on the loft. The problem certainly had the builders scratching their heads and I believe they were at a loss as to what to do next.

The same problem (wall and celing) appears in the other bedroom, though this is not quite so bad. It just seems strange that there was not a problem with this area until we had the roof done. If it is spreading to the celing as well then I am guessing it must be a reasonable amount of water?

Could it be the brick 'collar' around the top of the chimneys is acting like a sponge?

Is it worthwhile getting a waterproofing chimney specialist company to fix it and if so can anyone recommend such a company. We live in Bristol?

Apologies for so many questions and thanks for your prompt replies, they are much appreciated, but we are at a loss as to what to do next.

Here is a pic of the work that was done. Not sure if it helps...

Did you take a pic of the side flashings on the chimneys, looking up the roof.

Why would the wall be wet below the ceiling and dry above.

Where the gutter and fascia etc meet the stack you have a couple of rows of tiles, could it be getting in there some how. ?

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Hi Naranto,
Have had this problem before, basically, the chimney stacks were getting all the weather and water was soaking through the render and staining the bedroom below.

We hacked off all the old render, waterproofed the brickwork and then re-rendered (sorry can't remeber the name of the additive used). This solved the problem.

S

thescruff - I had the tiles moved to check and it is water tight. I thought it may be that water was building up and running back under the flashing and tiles, but everything is fine.

Simon - thanks for your reply. Waterproofing was advised by the second roofing company who checked. No evidence of leaks anywhere. The chimney stacks were checked and found that teh render was fine so was painted with Weathershield when the roof was completed.

I think we will try the waterproofing option first. Is it OK to apply a water proofing agent over the top. Also is there anything on the market that can be applied now or do we have to wait till the summer for a long dry spell?

Again apologies for all these questions!

Hi Naranto,

I don't know if they will travel to Bristol, but worth calling Andy Carpenter at Brixham Damp Proofing 01803 846200 07952 727537. Although we didn't use them (we did it ourselves) I found their price extremely competitive and Andy seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.

S

Sorry I can't agree with that theory one bit.

Assuming the pic taken in the loft is directly above the water stain on the ceiling, then any ingress of water externally would show on the brickwork above the ceiling.

I still think it's condensation/water from within the chimney, or water running along the ceiling board from somewhere.

I would take a couple of boards up and check before anything.

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First thanks (again) for all your input.

Update: In light of the suggestions here I took a closer look. The loft is boarded (but not to the edges) so I could get a good look at the ceiling, stack and woodwork.

There is nothing to draw the damp on to the ceiling from the wall - loft insulation, rubbish etc. The area where damp is shown in the photo is open and clear from above.

Using a damp meter. the wood around the chimneys do register a slight but very low dampness reading. I tested a known dry area for comparison and got the same reading so i am assuming it is atmospheric.

The hoizontal board behind the chimney was also checked by eye and with the meteer and again was found to be reading low.

The mortar in the chimney was reading high.
The brickwork in the chimney was reading high - though not as high as the mortar.

There is no visual staining of either the wood, felt (the breathable green cloth type material) or any flat area surrounding the chimney.

As you can see from the previous photos it is a tight area but I don't think I have missed anything.

I was thinking of putting a chimney vent in the top of the old fireplaces in each bedroom, which are currently sealed, but as the chimneys are vented by the downstairs fireplaces are 'open' I don't know if this will make a difference.