Chimney Safety for your home.
We all love the warmth and comfort our fireplaces gives us during the winter months. Keeping it safe is our main focus. Chimney fires account for Millions of dollars in damage and increased insurance costs. Properly maintaining it is where we can help.
Chimney inspections:
In a Level 1 inspection, your chimney service technician should examine the readily accessible** portions of the chimney exterior, interior and accessible* portions of the appliance and the chimney connection. Your technician will be looking for the basic soundness of the chimney structure and flue as well as the basic appliance installation and connections. The technician will also verify the chimney is free of obstruction and combustible deposits.
A Level 2 inspection is required when any changes are made to the system. Changes can include a change in the fuel type, changes to the shape of, or material in, the flue (i.e. relining), or the replacement or addition of an appliance of a dissimilar type, input rating or efficiency. Additionally, a Level 2 inspection is required upon the sale or transfer of a property or after an operation malfunction or external event that is likely to have caused damage to the chimney. Building fires, chimney fires, seismic events as well as weather events are all indicators that this level of inspection is warranted.
A Level 3 inspection includes all the areas and items checked in a Level 1 and a Level 2 inspection, as well as the removal of certain components of the building or chimney where necessary.
Removal of components (i.e., chimney crown, interior chimney wall) shall be required only when necessary to gain access to areas that are the subject of the inspection. When serious hazards are suspected, a Level 3 inspection may well be required to determine the condition of the chimney system.
Chimney Repairs
After a thorough inspection by a CSIA Certified Technician a full report should be submitted to you along with photos of each issue that is found, if any.
Common things we look for:
- Loose bricks
- Water damage
- Cracked Crowns
- Unparged smoke chambers
- Chimney Cap
- Firebox cracks
- Refractory panel cracks
- Built up Creosote
- Clearances to combustibles
These items we listed are some of the most common of repairs or issues we find with fireplace chimneys. Inspecting your chimney once a year is good practice, having your fireplace cleaned after each cord of wood is also good practice.
We are HeatSheild certified to recast your existing flue to restore safety in your system. To find out more about HeatSheild and their products visit https://chimneysaver.com/
For more information visit our website to schedule an inspection of your fireplace chimney. https://dryerventcleaningnewjersey.com
Visit the http://www.CSIA.org website for more information on chimney safety.
