Leaky Chimney Flashing

[HSCRC]

I have a question regarding what I believe to be leaky chimney flashing that has resulted in water coming in to the house. The house in question is a circa

1880 victorian with an addition added in 1910. The addition is where the problem is. The roof itself is slightly peaked as it rises perhaps 15 degrees in the middle. The roof is 6 years old.

When the leak first occurred there was a good deal of water that came in that worked it's way a few feet from the chimney. I got a can of roofing cement (Henry's) and went over the flashing. This did not fully get the job done so I hit it a second time. We had a good rain last night and there was a little bit of leakage. Somehow I get the sense that it may not be a good idea to put anymore of this stuff on the flashing.

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what should be done next before I call in a professional.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Vic Reyes

[m Ransley]

Copper is best cut into the morter joints or stone. Dont just let the roofer caulk it to the chimney. Plus you may have rot, It can be a big job. Also that old the chimney may have deteriorated below the roof line, Be ready to add tuckpointing to the expense Easily 1000$ if things are bad.

[L. M. Rappaport]

In addition to what Mark said, it's also possible that you have cracks in the chimney itself. We had that problem here - the flashing was replaced, caulking added - nothing worked. Eventually we found that the leak was coming from some cracks in the mortar which were barely visible. We tried sealing them, but eventually we had the top of the chimney torn off and rebuilt. That fixed things.