Leaking internal chimney

[LookingOptimistic]

I have a chimney which has a woodburner and in the last year and a half or so on 5 seperate occasions we have had some water leak down inside of chimney onto hearth when we have absolutely terential rain (so had this twice in last couple days with the storms we have had on south coast).

It looks like yellow dirty water and drips down the left side on bricks, past the sides of the throat plate. It is not a lot but its enough to create a puddle and run down grout line on hearth to fall on my laminate flooring.

It may be a coincidence but this has only started happening after i had an old woodburner replaced and a metal chimney liner installed (so luckily because of that the leak doesn't get in woodburner).

I haven't yet had it looked at as it happens to infrequently, an when i mentioned to installer of woodburner/lining what happened, he said it wouldnt be to do with his install, an could be lead flashing that the cold frost had split apart last December.

Anyone had this? And what was the cause?

Is the chimney cowl still attached and at a sensible height?
Lead flashing can loose its clips etc in wind - it may well just be that.
Did they insulate the chimney liner? IE, could it be condensation? Unlikely if it obly happens in heavy rain.

@Saz12 the chimney is so high up on side of house that it would be impossible to tell from the ground where the cowl is at, so could be that.

No idea about chimbey liner but like you say if condensation was forming it would be more frequent and not just in terential rain/storm.

The thing i find odd about lead flashing is, if its integrety had gone, why does it not leak everytime it rains? Same goes for if the cowl is the issue, surely everytime it rains you would have the leaking?

Are you talking about a large amount of water here? If it's just a few drops/a spoonful in a storm with heavy rain and strong, blustery wind, then that doesn't sound all that surprising. After all, a chimney is a whacking great hole in your house however you spin it.

You might just notice it more since the chimney was lined: in an unlined chimney, a few drops of water would be absorbed by the walls and you'd never see them in the fireplace.

@CasperGutman more than spoonful, probably like a small glass full (100 to 200ml).

The lining is just a tube inserted from cowl to woodburner i thought, so no change to the chimney itself where its bricks are.

From what i remember previous chimney sweeps saying, i think the actual inside of our chimney walls was previously clay lined i think but can't quite remember - so in that sense unlikely to have anything absorbed by brick if the clay is still there xD.

Oh well, will just have to get it looked it. For context i have lived here nearly 5 years and not had the chimney leak issue until it was lined (i know could be coinsidence, with weather we now have anything could go at anytime).

If you had it installed then as part of the stove and internal liner they should have ensured that you had a new 'thingy' put on your chimney.

It could be condensation, or it could be you need a skirt on the chimney and your new liner has disrupted the water and it now comes into your hearth rather than elsewhere.

We have a similar issue, it comes through our bedroom ceiling but the chimney in the attic is dry and we've regrouped the chimney pot etc. still leaking but we're out of ideas now.

@wildwestpioneer Yes i expect a new cowl was put on otherwise the liner would prob not have something suitable to attach to.

Its only down one side of internal chimney, from loft space right down bedroom and living room walls are all dry, no damp or anything, so i guess at least lucky that it only effects small part of chimney breast (which for my house is an external brick structure all the way up sort of seperate to houses external walls).

We are going to get a roofer to look at ours after xmas (don't want any expenses to trial and error fixes right now), however going through someone we know as worried if i pick any tradesman they may just try to sell me all the fixes without proper advice and still not fix the issue.