The article in this months FHB on restoring a brick chimney got my thinking. I have always used insulated steel pipes with a cap, but only very rarely do you see a masonry chimney capped. Considering I just emptied a 5 gallon pail sitting out by my shed that had filled itself to the brim after three weeks, why do they still routinely construct a building element that is designed to introduce large amounts of water into the building envelope? Or is there something I’m missing?
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Great question. I have often wondered the same thing.
Along with why not put I bolts or something on roofs when they build a house to hook safety harness too.
I think the idea was that a masonry chimney is like a big sponge - traditionally, they'd dry out in the winter. Now, I don't know.
Forrest - have some old chimneys, now with top-mounted dampers