Chimney Inspection

Chinmey Inspection

Many homes in the United States use fireplaces as their primary or secondary heat source. It is very important that such items as flues and chimneys operate properly and are inspected / cleaned on a regular basic depending on the usage.  Every fireplace, and every fossil fuel burning appliance for that matter, must have separate chimney flu.  The exception is a heating plant or water heater can use the same flu, the water heater flu stove pipe enters above the flu of the heating plant.

1. Chimney height- Chimneys must extent 2 feet higher than any portion of the roof or any structure within 10 feet, but must be less than 3 feet above the point where the chimney passes thru the roof.2. Brick Chimneys- Chimneys that are one brick thick without a flu liner are a fire hazard.  A two brick chimney without a flu liner is acceptable as long the chimney is in good condition.  Metal flus for gas appliances should always have caps.  We recommend adding metal caps over tiles chimney liners to keep animals and birds from nesting.3. It is always very important to look on the brick of the chimney/fireplace for a crack that runs in a straight line up three four layers of brick, this is sometimes the cause of a past possible chimney fire.  We always recommend having your chimney / fireplace liner cleaned and inspected by a professional before purchasing the home, this cleaning can save you hundreds / thousands of dollars.4. Chimney Crowns – chimney crowns are very important to have installed on a chimney to prevent water seapage inside the bricks and the subsequent damage this causes. Chimney crowns come in both metal and concrete.

Properly Installed Concrete Chimney Crown

 

 

Common chimney problems-

Spaling bricks- Spaling occur when water gets into the bricks and freezes, this causes the surface of the brick to fall off.  The generally happens because the chimney cap is failing.

Chimney Spaling and loose mortarjoints.	Chimney Spaling	Straight line chimney crackgenerally represents a pastchimney fire

 

Chimney cap is cracked in severalareas and will need to be replaced	Deteriorating Roof Chimney Cap.	Deteriorating Roof Chimney Cap

Tuck Pointing- Tuck pointing is the process of repairing the degradation of the mortar falling out from between the bricks.

Chimney Brick Tuck Pointing	Concrete between the brick has beenfilled (tuck pointed).