Chimney leaks may be from settling due to insufficient footer support. If there is a gap between the chimney and house, the settling is outward. This may let water in, but at least it doesn’t break the wall down. The use of silicone caulk, tar, and polyethylene sheeting to drain water away from the area as with a French drain or shallow footer drain will usually solve this problem. If the settling is into the wall and causing it to crack or bow, this can be a serious problem.

Chimney leaks are covered in Section G of The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z. Remember, in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most salesmen get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed inexpensively, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about “preventing serious damage” and try to scare you into signing a big contract.

You can save thousands of dollars and many headaches by learning what is going on first. Often what looks like an expensive and serious problem may not be. Once the problem is explained, solving it is just common sense. I’ve used the knowledge I’ve put in The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z every day to fix water problems. It will work for you too.

But remember, when dealing with salesmen, in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed at low cost, or one that has a simple solution, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about “preventing serious damage” and try to scare you into signing a big contract.