Damp Chimney Breast

Damp Chimney Breast

Our customer reported significant water damage to a chimney breast in an upstairs bedroom plus damp in the breast downstairs above their log burner.

After investigation we found that the damp was being caused by:

1. Lead flashing around the chimney being loose and detached from the brickwork allowed water running down the brickwork to get underneath the flashing and run down through the roof and into the upstairs bedroom.
2. An old TV aerial had water running down the metal into the mortar it had been attached to so that damp was passing from the mortar into the chimney.
3. Broken seals around the log burned flue and an open chimney allowed water to flow between the flue pipe and the brickwork all the way down to the ground floor into the log burner.
4. The pointing on the chimney was in very poor condition which was certainly not helping.

We repaired the flashing, repointed the chimney, removed the TV aerial, and installed a mushroom to prevent water from falling into the chimney. 

Subsequently the customer decided to decomission the log burner but retain it for decorative purposes so we were called back to cap and seal the chimney and it is no longer in use.

A key takeaway from this job is the importance of ensuring that metal attached to chimneys is fixed correctly and does not act as a route for water to gain entry. If you have an old TV aerial attached to your chimney or roof we recommend that you get it professionally removed to avoid this type of problem; it also improves the look of your property and reduces the risk of it coming down in a storm. You can contact us if you need your chimney checking or TV aerial removing.