Lined chimney leaking

[Zebra]

I've recently lined the chimney and installed a rain cowl with a separate pot hanger. Today we've had the first major downpour since, and water was dripping onto the register plate and running down the brickwork below.
Here's a picture of the rain cowl:

The pot hanger doesn't quite hang straight, because the liner got a slight bend in it pulling it up through the fireplace. And the side where it is slightly lifted is the south-west, where all the rain comes from.
Clearly the rain is getting down the gap between the pot hanger and the pot. I don't know how I imagined that wouldn't happen, how silly!
So have I done it wrong? Perhaps the pot hanger should have been beneath the legs of the rain cowl, but then the legs wouldn't have folded over.
If I were simply to fill the gap with something - what? I have handy either cement, NHL3.5, or fire cement.
Thanks for your help!

 

[MdB]

Can you give us a link to the pot hanger you bought? I suspect it might be a chimney hanger that is supposed to go under the pot. My combined cowl and pot hanger goes right over the top of the pot to reduce this issue though I doubt it stops it completely.

 

[Zebra]

The pot hanger didn't have a brand name on it. I bought it from a local shop. I've done a google search but can't find another like it. It was just a top hat shape. The rim was larger than it is now, and I had to cut it down to fit inside the legs of the cowl.
We fitted it so that the liner comes right up to the top of the pot, and fits over the hanger.
Was the pot hanger supposed to be for when you are replacing the pot, so that it goes further down, under the pot, and not sticking out of the top of the chimney?
Perhaps I ought to have bought a combined hanger and cowl.

 

[MdB]

This http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/lining_a_chimney.html shows how to fit a linear with the fixing underneath the pot. The idea is that any water that goes down the chimney, gets stopped by the top closing plate. Not they way, you or I have done it.

Using a pot hanger without a cowl such as these http://www.chimneycowlproducts.co.uk/acatalog/Pot_Hanger.html has a large brim to go over the pot edge to help keep the rain off - not that I would guess that it was perfect. Cutting this rim down will let the rain in as you have found.

The combined cowl hanger I used was this one: http://www.directflues.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=81&category_id=15&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=7

 

[Keithj]

That looks a pretty small cowl to me, and the rain and wind today were something else!

Ours are more like coolie hats but they do an excellent job of keeping the rain (and the pigeons) out of the chimney.

 

[middi]

All chimney pot cowlings may leak in adverse downpours, some more than others ( they are not totally weather proof)
To guarantee no leaks fire proof sealant has to be used where the cowl meets the rim of the pot and also the inner liner.

Middi

 

[Zebra]

To guarantee no leaks fire proof sealant has to be used where the cowl meets the rim of the pot and also the inner liner.

Thanks middi. I've just googled fire proof sealant, I can see there are quite a few to choose from. Thanks, I'll give that a go before it rains again!

 

[MdB]

Make sure you get a waterproof version.... Not all are.

 

[Zebra]

Actually, looking at it, some of them don't like frost. Can anyone recommend a specific frost-proof, fire-proof, water-proof, tiger-proof sealant?
I'm not sure whether there are tigers on the roof. One can never be too careful.

 

[middi]

Actually, looking at it, some of them don't like frost. Can anyone recommend a specific frost-proof, fire-proof, water-proof, tiger-proof sealant?
I'm not sure whether there are tigers on the roof. One can never be too careful.

Try " geocel" block seal fire resistant--see google-

Middi

 

[Zebra]

Well that doesn't mention anything about a minimum temperature, so will try it, thanks. Doesn't mention anything about tigers either.....

 

[middi]

I have used it on a number of occasions and never had any complaints about water ingress.

Middi

 

[LadyArowana]

Well that doesn't mention anything about a minimum temperature, so will try it, thanks. Doesn't mention anything about tigers either.....

If you are concerned about tigers on the roof you might want to install one of Mr P's patent elephant repelling devices as a precaution too. They like the same sort of habitats, and having a herd of elephants stomping about on the roof could do some serious structural damage.

 

[Zebra]

Funny, I never thought of elephants as a threat....... they may well do damage to the roof, but they don't tend to chomp one's backside in the same manner. Of course, tigers aren't native where I come from, but we live in such a multicultural society nowadays, one can never be sure of one's predators!

 

[Lime]

The rain may be entering elsewhere other than the cowl or particular chimney flue.
Other flues in the stack could allow rain into the chimney void, alternatively it could be entering around the base of the pot near the flaunching or via the stack brickwork.