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Level 1 Chimney Inspection

The last post in this series gave you a bit of history on the life of the chimney sweep and how the standards for chimneys, fireplaces, vents, and solid fuel-burning appliances not only came to be for the betterment of the consumer but also the chimney sweep. Also discussed was the fact that the Levels of Inspection was broken down into 3 distinct levels dependent on the circumstances surrounding the appliance. While this is a mere part of the entire document, it is the one that addresses the existing inspections of residential and commercial chimneys as of 2010.

This post will concentrate on the first level of inspection of this standard and code; however, many ask who determines the circumstances that apply to each level. This would be the person conducting the inspection through communication with the owner or occupant of the property, if available, as well as the condition observed by the trained and certified technician. The scope of the inspection will include areas of the chimney that can be examined with the depth of the inspection appropriate for the current conditions of the chimneys.

Level 1 inspections are done when the circumstances of the fireplace and chimney has not or is not changing. This is continued use of the appliance the way it has always been used as well as no apparent problems indicated by the occupant or seen by the technician. This constitutes “continued service, under the same conditions and with the same or similar appliance”.

Level 1 is always a part of an annual inspection, routine cleaning of the flues, replacement of one or more connected appliances with the same number of appliances of similar type and anytime the technician deems important during a call for any issue in and around the chimney.

All accessible portions of the chimney and accessible portions of the connected appliance and chimney connection will be inspected as well as the exterior of the chimney and any surrounding areas that can be accessed without removal of panels, doors, or coverings. If these areas are open they will be examined.

The chimney flue area that is accessible is also examined for the presence of a continuous flue liner, proper installation, damage or deterioration. The inspection also includes verification that the flue being inspected and any attached appliance is free of combustible deposits, blockage or obstruction including creosote.

Connected appliances, chimney connectors will be examined for proper clearances, floor mounting and protection, damage or deterioration, and observable evidence of operating malfunction as well as proper support and fastening of joints, pitch, and securement to the chimney. Like all other parts, the connectors will be examined for damage, deterioration, internal blockage or obstruction, and freedom from combustible deposits.

All internal surfaces of fireplaces and smoke chambers will be examined for any type of damage and deterioration, combustible deposits and debris as well as evidence of any operating malfunction. Any and all fireplace inserts, stoves, or accessories shall be taken out of the fireplace as necessary to permit such an examination to be completed. This also allows the technician the ability to examine the connecting a fireplace insert or stove to the chimney flue.

Fireplace inserts, stoves, or accessories are not required to be removed if the venting system can be thoroughly cleaned without doing so.

As you can see the Level 1 inspection is a very thorough examination and is the basic inspection that should done every year. This alone will help you and your family sleep safe at night knowing you can use your fireplace as you always have.

When the circumstances change in regard to your appliance, the inspection can and should intensify to further insure your family safety. Part 3 will look at what should be done when these circumstances arise.

Introduction to a Chimney Inspection

Fire has been around since the dawning of time. What has changed throughout history is the way we use and harness its power. With an open fire, there are always precautions that need to be taken but built up of soot; debris and creosote are none of them. It wasn’t until we discovered how to enclose fire in a box and vent it up through a hole in the roof around 1200 did we discover that burning wood could lead to a series of issues that if not taken seriously, could harm or even kill people.

While there are few statics available in the early adaption of fireplaces and stoves used in the home we do know there are cultures that built kitchens away from the main residence due to an eventual fire that would take place. Once the kitchen burnt down they could be easily rebuilt with no harm done to the house. This says a lot about the lack of safety in these types of early home appliances.

In many countries including the United Kingdom, young boys were used to clean the flue by crawling or climbing into it. Many of these boys were injured and killed by being trapped or suffered the consequences of breathing the toxic fumes. This was a common practice up until 1875 when the chimney sweep trade was regulated in the UK and up until the turn of the century in the US. The invention of chimney sweep brushes helped lead the way to a much safer way to clean the chimney. However, each chimney sweep could make up their own rules and regulations as to what constituted an inspection and cleaning until the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA.org) voted in a standard for chimney, fireplaces, vents, and solid fuel-burning appliances in 1967.

Although the code and standard has been revised as technology changes in the industry, it standardized the inspection and cleaning process throughout the trade. That was not only good for consumers but also for the chimney sweeps. They now had and continue to have guidelines and industry standards that must be met when servicing the consumer’s appliance.

Within these guidelines the NFPA has divided the inspection process into three distinctive levels. The level of inspection is determined by the circumstances surrounding the appliance and move from Level 1 up to Level 3 and are progressively more comprehensive in nature.

Part 2 of this series will take a look at the basic Level 1 inspection.

It was a few years ago a friend of mine told me what had happened to him after purchasing an older home that he remodeled. This house was built in the 1920’s with a “hip” roof and had 3 fireplaces of which one was a double fireplace that shared a chimney between rooms. Like most people renovating a home they started with the foundation and structure of the home. They worked very hard getting everything lined up and level as best as possible but never stopped to think about the structure of the chimneys.

It all was going as planned. The structure was secured and looked good so they quickly moved to the inside to star demolition. Room by room they went until the entire home was redone almost entirely inside and out. That’s when a wind storm did some damage to the roof and the roof had to be replaced. When the roofing company took off the roof and gutters there happened to be 5 layers of shingles! If you don’t know this most places only allow for 3 layers max.

So the shingles came off and a new roof was completed. It looked great! In fact, they were getting stopped by perfect strangers driving by who were commenting on how beautiful the house turned out. Everything was great until it rained. That’s when they realized there was a serious problem. They called the roofing company out multiple times until they admitted that they were stumped. They recommended the company the installed the gutters might know something they didn’t so the gutter company came out and inspected the problem and said to call the roofer.

Around and around my friend went until one night they opened the flue to the double fireplace and water poured in. They called a chimney company in the area the next day (unfortunately, they live far away from Portland) and had them come and inspect the chimneys. What they found were chimneys, though still standing, were in much need of repair. Water was coming through the caps and draining down the liner through a slit were it was broken, dripping onto a ceiling joist and traveling about twenty feet before dropping onto the ceiling. It looked like the leak was far away from the fireplace but that’s exactly were the water was coming in.

Today, my friend is content in his home because he hired a chimney services company that knew everything they needed to know to clean, inspect and repair the chimneys from top to bottom. He knows that if he ever buys an older home to remodel that he should never forget about the structure that is so many times overlooked; the chimney.

Now that spring is here and you are thinking about “spring cleaning”, it’s time to include the vents in your home as well. There are several you should think about cleaning; your air vents and your dryer vent. Let’s take a look at each one of these and see why it’s important to consider these as just a part of your spring routine.

Every year at this time pollen becomes an issue for many people, especially the very young and elderly. If we are one of the ones most affected we go out and purchase filters to filter the air we breathe because we understand that eliminating as must pollen, dust and particles from the air just helps us breathe better. What we forget is the air ducts themselves have dips and groves that essentially “trap” dirt and debris and cause additional problems for those filters.

Cleaning the ducts themselves will get these particles out of the system al together so the filters will only have to deal with what is currently going through the system and not the buildup that has been gathering since the last time they were cleaned; if ever they were. This allows for more clean air to circulate and should cause the filters to last longer depending on where you live.

As for the dryer vents, they need cleaning for several reasons. First the dust that makes it out of the vents can be so fine that you can’t see it. However, you are breathing it as it blows around. Secondly, the lint in a dryer is one of the most flammable materials in your home. The boy scouts even recommend it to carry as a great fire starter when camping so that should tell you something about how east it will catch on fire.

Because homes these days have more dryers than fireplaces, fires from clogged dryer vents are more common than from fireplaces. But how in the world can you get a clogged dryer vent when you empty it every time you use the dryer? It’s simple. The lint gathers in the vent hose between the dryer and the outside vent. Eventually, the lint particles cling to the wall and then to each other until you have a blockage. This keeps the heat from venting out to the atmosphere and the lint eventually gets so hot it catches on fire and spreads extremely quickly throughout the length of the vent hose.

If you don’t know if t your dryer might be having a problem here is a couple of things to look for; is your dryer having a hard time drying clothes or taking several cycles to get your clothes dry or; does it seem that your lint trap is not as full after every load of clothes. Both of these things could mean you have a blockage somewhere and should be inspected and cleaned sooner than later.

If you just make this a part of your spring cleaning then you will never forget to have it done every year. It is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to the safety of your family. Don’t you agree?

When you buy a new home you might assume that the fireplace and chimney system is in good working order. While this is normally the case it is the times when it is not that the recommendation would be to always get chimneys inspected or your home no matter what the age.

On new homes the builders often are hiring general mortar contractors that do a decent job on general mortar jobs. Building a good working and safe fireplace appliance is not a general job. There are very specific things that must be done as well as codes and specifications that must be met. These codes can be different from tome to town and county to county and whoever builds the fireplace needs to know what they are in your area.

There are also emissions regulations as well that must be met. These are not only dependent on where the appliance is located but also the size. Because of the heat put out by the fire there are specific types of mortar and bricks that should be used. Not using materials that are meant for this type of construction is a safety issue no matter how new a house is.

Another chimney company located in Nashville recently went into a home that was having smoke problems. This house had multiple chimneys and when they started looking at them through a picture scope what they found shocked them.

This was a multiple million dollar home that was less than a year old. Whoever built the chimneys stacked the liner and never mortared the joints. That meant there were huge gaping holes in places where the liner overlapped thus letting smoke into areas where smoke should not be going. This was a very expensive home where the builder of these particular chimneys did a second rate job that could have ended up causing a great deal of damage, not to mention lives. Luckily for them the problem was identified and solved but it took a lot of time and additional dollars to fix them properly.

If these types of mistakes are going on in multi-million dollar homes around the country, then it could also happen to any home. So when asked if a new home will need a chimney inspection the answer will always be; yes.

It’s unfortunate that we even have to discuss scams when it comes to properly cleaning your chimney. However, because there are unscrupulous people who would love to take some hard earned money away from you, we need to breech this topic so you will be prepared if you are contacted by one of these companies.

Here’s how most of them work. You get a phone call offering you a special deal; they got your name from a neighbor or the old owners gave them your name, etc. that is substantially lower than the normal price of an inspection or cleaning. They come to your home and after inspection they inform you that you have a structural issue, have a torn or worn chimney liner that needs to be replaced or a damaged chimney cap; all of which can cost you a lot of money.

Even if some of these things need to be replaced they replace them with cheap or wrong sized parts that often end up damaging the chimney more than what was there in the first place. There are also reports that these shysters use fear to intimidate customers into costly repairs by telling them that carbon monoxide poisoning can happen if these repairs are not made. The fact is that this type of poisoning is rare from a chimney.

Another fact is there is a website that you can go to that will help you find a qualified chimney service company just about anywhere in the United States. Click here to go to the Chimney Safety Institute of America search page where you can put in your information and find a CSIA Certified Professional. It is the only certified program for chimney and venting service companies recognized nationally.
This is important because those that go through the certification process and keep their education current are dedicated and invested in their businesses and are not fly-by-night companies out to scam people. They are long standing businesses that respect the home and time of their customers and are working to do business long term.

A couple of other ways to check on a business is to make sure they have liability insurance in place, ask and call references, check out reviews online and get multiple bids. If a chimney company tells you that your chimney needs a bunch of work done you can also get a second opinion from another company.

The bottom line is that you need to be aware and be smart to detect any scam that might come knocking on your door. They say you get what you pay for, and while that is often true, when scammed, you get way less than you pay for.

If you use gas logs you need to know that it is important to have them serviced every year to keep them clean and functioning properly and you and your family safe. Many people believe that since they do not burn wood in their fireplace there is no need to inspect and clean their fireplaces and that is just not true.

No matter what you use to burn in your fireplace the firebox will need to be carefully inspected and cleaned. Creosote buildup can still be an issue especially if your fireplace once burned wood or other carbon producing products. Each one of the gas logs will need to be inspected and cleaned as well to insure they are in good working order. When working efficiently, gas logs are one of the best ways to produce a clean burn.

However, before you just call anyone, make sure you are dealing with a certified gas appliance technician. This will be someone who is certified to inspect not just the logs but also the piping for damage and leaks as well as any starter or control mechanisms you may have in place. Damage to any one of these is a potential fire and health risk for your family.

The other normal chimney inspections and cleanings should also take place as well as inspection to make sure the damper is in good working order and the chimney is functioning properly. If a damper is loose and prone to falling it can cause the smoke and fumes to back up into the home and potentially cause a major problem. When using s gas log appliance you must be vented through a working chimney system. This is not an option. Capping the top of the chimney will make sense as well because you will want to keep debris and critters out of the chimney year round. It’s just the smart thing to do.

Specific to gas logs in the burner pan and is where the flames are actually produced. Sand is used to keep the flames even across the pan and if it is not spread evenly you can get a “yellowing” flame that signals there is uneven combustion. Making sure the sand is spread evenly will help eliminate the problem.

Once the tech has completed servicing the entire appliance he or she will reassemble the gas logs and get them back in good working order.  Any final adjustments will be made on the flame height and any controls you may have and you will be on your way to enjoying another year of peaceful, warm fires.

An old friend had a son that lived in a duplex with his family. The other side of the duplex had another family and the wall the separated them had a fireplace on either side. The son was diligent about getting his fireplace and chimney cleaned and inspected each year for the safety of his family and just assumed that everyone was as concerned about a chimney fire as he was since he had lived in areas that used fireplaces for heat all of his life. However, on one cold January evening, he found out that everyone does not think like he does.

He was lucky. The entire family including the dog made it out safely. Their belongings did not. But what disturbed him the most was that the other family “thought” they had had a fire the night before but couldn’t confirm it so they just ignored it. What they should have done was to call a certified chimney company to inspect to see if they might have actually had a contained chimney fire, which was confirmed by firefighters the following week.

Here is what the chimney technician would have looked for:

• Puffed Creosote – lightweight, fragile ashes are usually present after a fire.
• Scorched Areas –the high heat produces clean patches that may appear in the flue.
• Cracked Flue Tiles – fires can burn at over 2000 degrees F. and that can cause thermal shock, which can crack the flue.
• Metal Components Warped – dampers or chimney caps may be discolored or damaged.
• Large Creosote Pieces – expanded creosote may appear on the roof, gutter or yard near the chimney.

As promised here are the three things to do to prevent chimney fires:

• Schedule yearly inspections with a professional certified chimney contractor.
• Make sure they provide a video camera inspection of the entire chimney structure top to bottom.
• Consider installing a stainless steel chimney liner.

Remember, it is not uncommon for occupants to be unaware that a fire has even occurred. If you even think it may be happening at your house, duplex, condo or apartment it is imperative that you contact your local fire department or chimney company to come out as quickly as possible and inspect the chimney for signs of a fire. Chimney sweeps find numerous cases of undetected fires every year so the most important thing is to make sure your fireplace and chimneys are getting that yearly inspection. It just might save more lives than you might think.

There is nothing like a wood burning fireplace to warm your heart, hands and sometimes your feet. The problem is these types of fireplaces, as great as they look, can be very inefficient. This becomes exacerbated for those equipped with a metal flue or damper. The idea is to keep as much heat in the home as possible so let’s explore what can be done to do just that.

One inexpensive thing you can do is install what’s called a fireback. This is simply a cast iron plate that absorbs heat and radiates it back into the room. You can find these in many decorative designs to match just about any home décor.

Using a damper to seal the top of chimney is also a great inexpensive way to help hold heat into your home. Because a top sealing damper comes with an attachment made of rubber that is designed to have an air tight seal it is great to keep heat where you want it. This type of damper will replace the throat damper as well. Most throat dampers are made of metal and can rust and/or warp over time.

One type of heater that works with wood burning fireplaces are grate heaters. Tubes absorb heat from the fire in the firebox and a fan simply blows air through the tubes heating it as it makes its way through the tubes and out into the room. Most of these types of heaters have some sort of thermostat control whether manual or automatic. Again, this is a very affordable option to keep heat where you want it and not up the flue and out the chimney.

This last option costs a little bit more but is worth it in the long run for both safety as well as efficiency. Installing glass doors eliminates air from the room to be used for combustion thus making the fireplace more efficient. They also keep embers from flying out into the room preventing any accidental burns on children and adults alike. The last thing about glass doors is they look great in any home.

Hope that has given you several ideas and ways that you can improve the efficiency of your wood burning fireplace now and in the future.

If you have ever had a leak in your home, one thing is clear; you can’t always tell where it originates from. However, with a little bit of knowledge about your chimney you can see that it’s a great place to start when you have a leak in your home. The reason chimneys are such a vulnerable place for leaks is because the construction of a chimney has some areas that can be difficult to seal. If not sealed properly, water gets in and runs down rafters, beams and even the edges of drywall to a completely different area in your home and you don’t even think about the chimney being the culprit and source of the leak.

Here is a quick breakdown of the three areas.

• Chimney Crown Leaks happen because of the breakdown of crown due to exposure to wind, rain and varying temperatures. Crowns can be chipped away, show signs of deep cracks or voids or be broken, all of which allow water to be absorbed and transferred into the home via the chase. This happens a lot when mortar has been substituted for concrete to save time and money during construction.
• Chimney Flashing Leaks are the perfect place for leaks if not installed correctly. This is where the roof line and the chimney meet making it the perfect place for water to gather behind the chimney and penetrate the flashing and leak into the home. If the flashing is not high enough around the base of the chimney water can easily run down between the flashing and the brick.
• Chimney Mortar Joints and the bricks themselves can be a leak problem depending on the density of the brick and mortar. Soft bricks tend to absorb water and over time that water will need someplace to go once the brick is saturated. Same with the mortar joint if it was mixed with too much sand.

Each one of these potential leak areas can be solved rather easily and inexpensively if you are proactive and identify the issue before they become an expensive problem to fix. Call us at 503-644-0393 and let us know your concerns and we can go into detail about how to deal with your particular concern.

If you have a leak right now and can’t seem to find the source, we can help. Give us a call at 503-644-0393 and schedule a time we can come out and inspect the troubled area and see if you have a leaky chimney and not a leaking roof.