Sealing brick

For many years I have used a product call Siloxane PD, made by Prosoco to seal chimneys and brick where water soaking thru , was a problem. I think i have come upon one where this isn't working as good as usual. What do you gents use ,or reccomend that has worked well for you. It has to be something that doesn't look like it has been painted, when it dries.>>>

Hi Chris,

So you do not believe the brick itself absorbs water from the outside? >>>

Sealing masonry is never a good idea unless used as a last resort. What happens over a short period of time is any sealant will begin to fail or the masonry will open up allowing water to penetrate. Now that the outer surface is still mostly watertight, the water can freeze in the Wintertime and spall the brick. The Brick institute supports this recommendation. To solve masonry chimney issues, the mortar joints should be tuckpointed if bad, crack bricks should be replaced and at the worst, you could install a cementitious coating. Installing a stainless steel chimney cap will eliminate maintenance on the mortar cap. >>>

Chimney's SUX! lol>>>

There is another product out there that I read about several years ago in one of the trade magazines. I can't remember the name of it and have been trying to do so for a couple of months.

The way it works is that you brush it on any cement, brick, block, etc. surface and as the moisture contacts it, something inside it activates and causes a chemical reaction where the molecules infiltrate through the area to form a watertight barrier. It was mentioned as being used for wet basements, walls, chimneys, etc.

If anyone knows the name of the product, please let me know. I have a wet wall that I want to try it on!>>>

I had a similar situation not long ago. We roofed a townhome that had a stucco chimney. Steep roof. A couple months after roofing it the owner calls saying their is a leak below the chimney. I go over and dont see anything wrong with the flashing or the stucco but put some sealant in the corners of the flashing anyways just in case. Next big rain leaking again. So i go out while its raining and go in the attic. I find one little spot with an ever so slight drip once in a blue moon just below the chimney. Then the rain picks up and i hear a steadier drip coming from somewhere else but cant see it. i manage to find a slight opening just big enough to allow me to see all the way to the top of the chimney at the cap with my flashlight and sure enough its leaking like a sift from the top of the chimney. 2 days later when everything had time to dry up i go back with a 10,000 foot ladder :ohmy: and get a peak at the cap. This is when i discover that rocket scientists installed the chimney cap with one 16 penny nail on each side driven straight down through the cap. Water was ponding on the cap as these same geniuses did not use a heavy gauge cap nor did they lift it up in the center and screw it into the flue where the water would run off instead of ponding. Gave bid for new chimney cap. Did proper installation. Problem Solved! N E X T! B)>>>

We use the Geocel also. It is a good product that has worked well for us. Used it in a church about 2 years ago to seal a bell tower that had been a problem for years. So far no leaks!

If you are going to put a new crown on the chimney, mix some Portland cement in with that mortar mix. It will harden up better and last longer.>>>

I must admit if the problem is that bad i don't want attatched to it! i refer them to a mason! :blush:>>>

vulcum or rain buster is what I use>>>

craftsman asks: does the chimney get bigger at the top. had one once that the water was getting in on the inside as the bricks steped out to make the chimney bigger. tops on the flue linners stoped the leak.

not the case here , but I have dealt with this scenario before, where the frogs are almost exposed, because of the step out of the brick.>>>

HOP sez, Okay. I understand now.

In your business, do you do brick work? I know in some states roofers do it all including windows and siding. Around here, after determining that the flashing isn't the cause, I would give the homeowner the number of a good mason.

No HOP, we don't do any masonary work , even tho some of the new work I have seen could of been done better by me :lol: than the mex's that did it. :angry: A good mason mite solve some of the trouble here by recovering the cap of this chimney with a new concrete cap, we can do this if needed ,with a bag of quickcrete mortar mix. 99% of the people that do masonary around here cain't speak English.

>>>

Hi,

Chimney caps will stop a lot of leaks to.>>>

Hi,

Brick will soak in water from new. Soaks water like a spong. Ussually at the ceiling it comes back out and looks like the roof is leaking.

On the crown I will use Geocel 2315. I will use it on the sides sometimes.

Yes it works on stucco.>>>

does the chimney get bigger at the top. had one once that the water was getting in on the inside as the bricks steped out to make the chimney bigger. tops on the flue linners stoped the leak.>>>

Do these products work on stucco?>>>

I run into this problem all the time with stone and brick chimneys. I use sil-crete. Go to a masonry supply house. they have the good stuff.>>>