Hello,
Our house is a late 1950's split-level with an addition. In the original part of the house, in the basement, we have a furnace that vents into a brick chimney.
We've recently removed a washer and dryer that were next to the furnace, and noticed water dripping from the foundation under the the chimney, even when there hasn't been rain for days. We checked the outside of the chimney, and its also wet where the brick meets the foundation.
The bottom of the chimney has a small access door. I opened it and the bottom felt damp. There is a pipe in the chimney, it looks and feels like it might be clay or something like that. Before turning on the furnace tonight I felt the pipe and it was dry. Then I ran the furnace for a couple of hours and then stuck my hand into the "clay" pipe in the chimney, and I could feel water on the inside of the pipe.
My questions are:
1) is this condensation normal?2) what is the proper or normal way to handle it?
Thanks,
Steve