Why doesnt rain fall down the chimney?

Question

always wondered

Answer 1

Rain does fall down chimneys that are not covered by caps to keep the water out. The real question here is why don't you see in falling in the fireplace when it rains. The primary reason is that fireplaces have arching rear wall that creates an area above the fireplace and behind the damper that we call the "Smoke Shelf" This shelf is where the rain that comes down the chimney ends up. It doesnt really matter if the chimney is straight or curved, the water drips or falls onto the shelf. Sometimes the water is visible on the bricks in the back of the fireplace or, depending on local construction methods, it may find its way to the foundation or outer wall of the chimney. Many fireplaces will have a musty, wet ashes smell after it rains caused by the water mixing with the soot and ash on the smoke shelf. All chimneys should have a cap to keep the rain and snow out. You can purchase these at local hardware stores or have them installed by professional chimney sweeps.

Answer 2

Well, I guess that depends on the chimney, doesn't it?

A lot of chimneys have a cover. Some are bent.

I suppose there are a few chimneys that actually do have rain fall down them. The ones that stick straight up and have no cover!

Answer 3

Gravity rules, and it ALWAYS pulls things toward the center of the earth -
that is, straight down. If you see rain falling at an angle, it's because
there is some wind. Look sometime at smoke from a chimney on a day that
feels calm, and it is almost always rising at an angle due to slight winds.
If rain is very fine, it is extremely easy for a light breeze to make it go
sideways. The heavier the raindrops (the more inertia they have), the more
wind it takes to shift them sideways. When a rainstorm is moving through
your area, remember that it is MOVING. If you set up a decent anemometer
(protected from the rain but not the wind) with a nice, low-friction
bearing, you should see it rotating a bit even when it feels nearly calm
outside. Even if only at couple of miles per hour, wind can still carry the
drops sideways a bit as they fall. Hope this answers your question. Keep
observing.

:)

Answer 4

It will if there is nothing in the way to stop it. Most chimney's have a grate and cover to keep birds, rodents, leaves, and the like from falling in. And there is a flue which is a damper like device that gets opened creating a draft to let out the smoke and closed when there is no fire.

Answer 5

At my dads house we had just a few spots of rain but it was the hail you could really hear bouncing down the chimney then landing in the fire.

Answer 6

Of course it does but if you have a fire going the rain will most likely evaporate with the heat I would imagine....or most chimneys have been blocked up these days to prevent birds nesting in them.

Answer 7

It does! But, there's a bend in the chimney, so it doesn't fall all the way down to the fire place.

Answer 8

Sorry to disappoint you but it does it`s just that 8 out of 10 times it probally comes down at an angle?

Answer 9

Why does rain not cave in a chimney ? a million, A rain cap on top of the flu. 2. Bricks take in the rain because it falls in. 3, The Smoke Shelf above the fireplace traps it. 4, there is often an updraft interior the chimney that forces rain away. 5. The small quantity that does make it to the fireplace is un observed.

Answer 10

There's a cap that covers it. And there should be a screen that keeps out birds and other pests too.

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