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With the escalating prices of home heating in recent years, many people have begun to make use of a combinationwoodandoil furnace. This type of furnace gives the homeowner flexibility in what they heat their home with during the cold winter months. Type in your zip code and HomeAdvisor will find fireplace inspectors near you. Fireplace inspections are required before selling a home with a fireplace. It won’t reveal any structural damage hidden by walls or brickwork, so keep that in mind before selling or purchasing a home with a fireplace.
However, if you have an extensive amount of damage to your fireplace, inspection prices can reach up to $5,000. Not everyone is suited for the job when it comes to chimney inspection. Not you, not your friends (especially when they aren’t chimney experts), not an HVAC technician, and neither should a home inspector or roofer be called for this. Additional areas checked include the thickness of fireplace walls, the connection between fireplace and chimney, smoke chamber clearance, and smoke chamber wall thickness.
To Ensure Efficiency of the Fireplace and Chimney System
The chimney rises at least two feet above the point at which it exits the roof. The chimney’s mortar and bricks are not crumbling or missing.
Creosote is a leading cause of chimney fires and can also cause a variety of health problems, ranging from skin irritation to increased cancer risk. A Level 1 inspection is the bare minimum and is usually recommended when usage, service, materials burned, and the parts themselves have not changed. The National Fire Prevention Association says that a fireplace should be checked and cleaned once a year. Structural damage to the hearth could come in the form of the floor sagging away.
Level Two Chimney and Fireplace Inspection
For instance, the flue vent could be blocked by leaves, twigs, animal nests, or other debris, causing a backdraft into your home. Backdrafts occur when the gases produced by fire can't be properly released through the chimney, forcing smoke and other pollutants back into your home through the fireplace. And when seeking professional services, ensure you hire a licensed chimney inspector with the necessary training and experience to conduct a thorough assessment of your fireplace. The third and last level of fireplace inspection is the most in-depth and requires special tools and training. This level of assessment should only be conducted by a certified professional. Most fireplace inspectors recommend a level 2 inspection if they notice a problem with your fireplace and chimney in the first level of assessment.
Depending on your chimney’s condition, this process may last from a few minutes to an hour or more. A chimney inspection is usually targeted at finding out if any problems exist. Also, this activity becomes necessary when there’s an existing anomaly caused by the faulty operation of your chimney. Gaps and Cracks – As your hearth and firebox settle with age, there is the potential that the mortar used to seal your chimney can crack, or the actual structure can shift.
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Check the manufacturer’s manual for details on removal—it’s normally just a couple screws or bolts. On some models, you may need to remove the fireplace surround to be able to get into the firebox and access the damper. To save money, some homeowners try to perform their own chimney inspections, but this inspection is best left to the experts. Chimney inspectors use instruments like specialized camera equipment and have a trained eye to identify potential chimney issues.
This is not as much of a problem if you are burning processed materials such as wood pellets. Creosote can build up very quickly, especially when the weather is very cold and then turns warm. This excess build up will cause smoke to go throughout the home instead of out the chimney.
If you have a masonry fireplace, you’ll still need to clean inside the smoke chamber. If you have a square 6-inch by 6-inch flue, that’s the size brush you’ll need. For a masonry, tile lined chimney you’ll want a metal chimney brush, for any metal lined chimney, you’ll need a plastic or poly brush. You’ll also need enough chimney brush rods to reach the full length of your flue. The rods and brush usually have ¼-inch threaded ends, one male, one female so they can be connected—make sure the brush and rods you get have matching connectors. Installing a chimney cap helps prevent critters from nesting in your chimney during the off season.
Remove any visible creosote buildup or obstructions like bird nests, soot, or ash. Moreover, blocked flues are notorious for enabling carbon monoxide build-up, which can cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and other symptoms that can be life-threatening. While that is undoubtedly the case, it’s also important to remember that a fireplace is an excellent way to improve the look and feel of your home.
Larger cases of cracking or gaps can significantly increase the risk of a chimney fire or collapse. Working from the top of the chimney, the debris falls into the fireplace below as you work the brush down. Chimney brushes are pushed down, or up, the chimney with rods connected end-to-end. You need to know the flue height, so you can get the right number of extension rods. Fireplaces and chimneys are common fixtures of a home that can have detrimental or deadly consequences if not routinely inspected and cared for. This may involve the removal of certain chimney components in a bid to discover hidden issues or problems.
A Chimney and Fireplace Inspection is a thorough evaluation of the current condition of both the fireplace and chimney. This inspection should be done annually as it can help identify potential problems that could become health or safety issues. During this inspection, a highly trained and certified WIN home inspector will look for any visible damage, wear and tear, leaks or blockages. By identifying potential problems early, you can protect your home and family while avoiding unnecessary and costly repairs.
Any shifting of the cap can also make an opening for wetness or wild creatures. After making sure that the chimney is going to be adequate for your furnace, the next most important thing to look at is the space where the furnace will go. The oil burning side of the furnace is not going to require much space. Wood stoves and furnaces, however, must have plenty of space as they can rise to extreme temperatures. Installing a combination furnace will require at least 3 to 6 feet of clearance around the furnace to protect the home from fire.
The last part of a fireplace and chimney inspection is the exterior. The inspector will look for any damage caused by water, animals, or severe weather to ensure your chimney is safe and sound. It is also necessary for the sale or transfer of property and after an operation malfunction or external event caused damage to the chimney. Building and chimney fires, seismic activity, and weather events are examples of external events. If you do it yourself, a gas fireplace inspection can be inexpensive.
Basic safety issues, like buildup in fireplaces and chimneys, are looked for during visual inspections. Level 1 inspections are typically included in the cost of cleaning. There is a risk of carbon monoxide leaks with gas fireplaces like all gas appliances. This is the main thing that an inspection of a gas fireplace focuses on.
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