Prevent Costly Repairs

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.

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.

Have you lived in your home for a long time? Have you just purchased an older home? If you can answer yes to either of these, then it would be a good idea to have the chimney inspected by a chimney professional. If significant damage is found, your chimney may need to be restored.

The restoration of a chimney typically involves procedures like chimney relining. The relining process consists of depositing a metal and/or concrete composite around the inside of the structure in order to reinforce the chimney. Chimney restoration may also involve replacing the mortar between the stone or brick of the chimney.

Chimney restoration is usually an expensive proposition. However, you can prevent these costly repairs. Getting regular chimney inspections will allow you to discover small problems before they become major ones. Contact your local chimney professional today to schedule an appointment. You will find it to be much cheaper to maintain a chimney than it is to restore one.

When we think about chimneys, we often think about the chimney stack and the fireplace. However, there are several important accessories that keep the chimney appliance working properly. A very important accessory is a chase cover.

Chase covers protect your chimney when it is not in use. This is usually the summer. The cover keeps leaves, sticks, animals and even water from collecting inside the chimney. If water gets into your chimney, it can be very bad news. The water eats away at the mortar, and eventually causes the chimney structure to fail. Needless to say, rebuilding a chimney structure is a very expensive proposition.

This is why we constantly preach maintenance. Having your chimney inspected and swept, as well as putting a chase cover on your chimney, will save a lot of money in the long run. No matter what economic climate we happen to be in, that is a very good thing!

We talk a lot about being sure to get your chimney inspected, but many of you may not know that there are actually 3 levels of chimney inspection. This is mainly due to the fact that chimneys can be in good shape as well as be in bad shape. And of course, all points in between. Here are the 3 levels of chimney inspection.

1. The first level of inspection is the type that covers the general maintenance of your chimney. Level 1 inspections are recommended on a yearly basis. In fact, this level can prevent costly repairs by uncovering a problem before it gets too big.
2. Level 2 inspections are necessary when the environment of the chimney is changing. This would include situation such as chimney relining. This level will often include video scanning in order to get a much closer look.
3. Level 3 inspections are necessary when there is suspicion of extreme deterioration of the chimney appliance. This can sometimes mean destroying part of the chimney in order to get to the problem areas.

Always remember that it is much better to have your chimney inspected yearly. Think of it like getting the oil changed in your car. It may seem like everything is fine, until the lack of maintenance causes serious, expensive damage.