Hi there, Ive had a new fireplace installed a few days ago and now its raining its leaking. I can't get hold of the builder and will probably end up fixing it myself. The flu hole is centred on an over lap of corro iron and i think the water is coursing in on the upper side of the hole between the two sheets, straight down the outside of the flu into the house.The flu boot seal thing looks well sealed. My idea is to use butinol or something when its fine again to cover the join on the run of iron to the flu. is this a good way to fix it? Am i right in thinking this is a silly error on the part of the installer or one that is easily not anticipated. I don't mind fixing this myself but would like it to last a long time. any advice would be appreciated, thank you.
watson79,
Mar 8, 1:24am
Can you take a flashing all the way up to ridgeline?
carter19,
Mar 8, 1:24am
I hope you had a council approved installer. They are usually plumbers.
gabbysnana,
Mar 8, 1:24am
Been installed without the correct flashing.
nzmax,
Mar 8, 1:26am
Check which way the lengths of flue are joined together above the roof line, make sure they are the correct way up. When my parents had a logburner installed a couple of years ago, the installer put the outer flue lengths upside down so the water running down the flue ran into the join and onto the top of the fire. Dad mentioned it to the installer at the time, who insisted it was correct. He was a bit red faced when he had to come back and fix it.
Edit to add. the taper of the outer flue should face up, so the top of the lower length fits inside the bottom of the next length above it.
..james..,
Mar 8, 1:32am
Yes the installer is approved despite the leak. I was thinking that a ready made tape may be easier or at least less of a hassle than a flashing? but I'm not an expert. the distance is about 4 metres. the sleeve over the flu is an aqua seal that is tight.
..james..,
Mar 8, 1:36am
thanks nzmax but there are no joins in this one as its very short. and the water is coming in from the roof as it hits the outer flu.
nzmax,
Mar 8, 1:47am
Are you able to get in the roof space to see where the water is coming from. That would confirm if its the overlap of the iron, or the seal between the boot and iron. Its very frustrating when your new logburner flue leaks.
Another thought. is there a seam in the length of flue? When my logburner was installed the rubber boot didn't seal perfectly where it met the seam and water came in there. A spot of silicone fixed that.
..james..,
Mar 8, 3:04am
yes frustrating alright. Ive looked in the roof and the leak is where the over lap is. I checked the seam of the flu and that is sealed. the amount of water coming in is more than that would let in. So I'm still on the idea of sealing the run of iron join. With butinol?
nzmax,
Mar 8, 3:15am
Sounds like you've looked at it all. Personally Id be tempted to maybe run a bead of silicone down the length of the overlap first, trying to get as much as possible under the overlap. Even if you have to pry the overlap up (without damaging or scratching the paint or colour finish), or remove/loosen the nails or screws on that particular overlap, silicone then rescrew of renail with longer 75mm nails. That will give a more original looking finish than butynol, but that could be used as a last resort if silicone doesn't fix it.
..james..,
Mar 8, 3:23am
Thats a good idea, thanks. Wouldn't cost much either. I will wait for the weather to clear over the next few days so i have a nice dry surface and try that.
maddie44,
Mar 8, 3:52am
I wouldn't touch it! The guy who has installed it hasn't done it properly and if you fiddle with it he can wipe all responsibility.
echoriath,
Mar 8, 4:11am
This.
You paid for a professional to install it correctly. Call immediately if you have not already and tell him what's going on. Document everything. If the installer is any good, it should not be a problem to make it right. If he's a yahoo, you want a record of everything.
mrgts4,
Mar 8, 6:31am
They should have cut a v out of the lap just above the aquaseal and sealed under the lap just behind aquaseal. Or as suggested used a tray flashing from below flue to under ridge
stevo2,
Mar 8, 1:53pm
New rules (in Tga anyway) state a flashing wider than the flue must run all the way to the ridgeline. Take a drive around the new subdivisions and see what I mean.
loud_37,
Mar 8, 4:12pm
I'm sure this is not a new rule as I had to get this done 6 years ago when I put in a log burner.
echoriath,
Mar 8, 5:06pm
"New" is relative if one has been in trade work for several decades.
In any case, a flashing as described still needs to be installed correctly, especially if in an area susceptible to high winds.
tim41,
Mar 8, 5:34pm
you need to put in a back flashing from below the flue 300 to 400mm up to the ridge line and under the ridge cap and at least 2 laps wider on either side of the flue penetration ,the decktight which goes around the flue outer needs to be on a 45 deg angle to the flashing so the water sheds around the boot and doesnt back up.id say your installer has pretty limited experiance with water proofing,dont go putting silicone under the laps as descibed above as thats going to cause more problems when it breaks down.id be telling your installer to get a roofer in to do the job properly.
..james..,
Mar 8, 6:08pm
thanks all. i have a pretty clear picture of it now and will have to advise the installer and see how he deals with it. I agree its up to him , not me.
rpvr,
Mar 9, 1:29pm
If it happened to me I would have been on to the installer straight away while it was raining, saying he had better get there or be liable for resulting water damage.
martin11,
Mar 9, 3:31pm
nzmax wrote: Sounds like you've looked at it all. Personally Id be tempted to maybe run a bead of silicone down the length of the overlap first, trying to get as much as possible under the overlap. Even if you have to pry the overlap up (without damaging or scratching the paint or colour finish), or remove/loosen the nails or screws on that particular overlap, silicone then rescrew of renail with longer 75mm nails. That will give a more original looking finish than butynol, but that could be used as a last resort if silicone doesn't fix it.[/quote
Silicone was one of the worst things to come out in the building industry it does not last . We used to have none of that S--t when I started the trade and did flashing correctly without gunk and did not have problems . Look at any home with color steel metal gutters they all leak at the joins after about 12-15 years . Butynol also degrade with time
golfdiver,
Mar 10, 3:06am
Any penetration wider than 90mm requires a backtray or soaker flashing all the way to the ridge. Plain laziness on behalf of the installer. Demand it is installed properly or go to the council.
golfdiver,
Mar 10, 3:08am
Sure, back in the day it was all soldered. Unfortunately you can't solder zincalume so your point is moot.
mm12345,
Mar 10, 3:36am
I assume that the same applies in Straford as Chch wrt building consent for a logburner install, but I had to fill in a detailed 7 page form, including, drawings and declaration on how the flashings / roof penetration would meet "E2" of the building code. If it leaked after that, Council would go absolutely septic. AFAIK it's not normally "restricted" work (requiring LBP) because of the small size of the penetration, but it does need to meet code, council do a site inspection and sign off, issue a CC certificate, so there are two at fault here - the shonky installer, and the shonky council inspector (who probably didn't want to get on the roof to check) who signed it off.
golfdiver,
Mar 10, 1:39pm
Funnily enough, the last time I spoke to a council inspector, he told me they weren't actually allowed onto the roof. If it is a low pitch it'll be a case of "yeah mate looks ok from here"
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