Water in bottom of wood burner flue pipe

[Djwilliams37]

Hi
Rebuilt my chimney and installed a flue pipe. The wood burner has a side pipe entry with a removable cup at the bottom. I noticed today water under the bottom of the stove and removed the cup which was full of water. I can only think that the water has found it's way through the top of the pot and then down the liner inside. I have only lite the burner once since I rebuilt it during the summer. I live in a fairly exposed area but not sure if it is normal for rain to be blown into the pot. It has a clay cowl on the top. I fired the wood burner up last night to dry everything out. It has been chucking it down today and I have removed the cup at the bottom of the flue pipe and there is a bit of water in there again.

 

[aseef]

Hi
Rebuilt my chimney and installed a flue pipe. The wood burner has a side pipe entry with a removable cup at the bottom. I noticed today water under the bottom of the stove and removed the cup which was full of water. I can only think that the water has found it's way through the top of the pot and then down the liner inside. I have only lite the burner once since I rebuilt it during the summer. I live in a fairly exposed area but not sure if it is normal for rain to be blown into the pot. It has a clay cowl on the top. I fired the wood burner up last night to dry everything out. It has been chucking it down today and I have removed the cup at the bottom of the flue pipe and there is a bit of water in there again.

It seems water is infiltrating your chimney through the top, likely due to an inadequate cap. Consider upgrading to a weather-resistant cap with proper sealing. Consulting a chimney professional for inspection and guidance is advisable for long-term solution.

 

[Doghouse Riley]

A chimney sweep can put a camera up the flu and attempt to see from where the water is coming. It won't be that expensive.

 

[piglet11]

This seems to be a common problem.

A neighbour had a stove and external stainless flue fitted and it leaked like a sieve.

Stubborn woman decided to leave it to the experts and made no attempt to find out by easy methods like sealing joints to find out where it was getting in.

Pretty obvious it was either the joints in the flue, the poorly protected cowl, or even where the flue went through the wall.

I might expect a small amount of moisture, possibly condensation.

A howling south-westerly and rain bucketing down is going to test any defences. You could try temporarily capping it off, don't use the fire, and see if that fixes it

 

[Smurof Yid]

Rain Gets in Chimney pipes. Regardles of cap, of sealjoint, of "professional inspection and solution" You get a crazy wind and a downpour, and the finest flue in the world will get moisture in it. Accepting that as fact, just add "check and dump cup" to your maintenance chore list. Check it after every rain. Or unscrew and dump the bottom cap, however your set up is. Don't let it sit in there. Metal and water aren't friends, and all those 90', caps and elbosw are expensive to replace every season. Get 3 or 4 seasons out of it by dumping the water and drying the area it was sitting in. I've even heard guys say they drill a 1/16 pilot hole, and keep a pail under the flue cap/cup to let it self drain.