Chimney Inspection Near You: Book This Annual Service With SureGlow Stove & Chimney
For local homeowners, SureGlow Stove & Chimney is the place to call for all your chimney inspection and maintenance services. Scheduling with us is easy – just submit a form right here on the website or give us a call.
What Is a Chimney or Fireplace Inspection?
A chimney inspection is an overview done by a professional chimney sweep that ensures your chimney and fireplace are free from blockages, cracks, or structural damage that could impact safety or efficiency.
Think of it like your annual medical exam. During a physical, your doctor might perform diagnostic tests or ask you a series of questions to get a better idea of your overall health. It might seem like a silly comparison, but when one of our professionally trained technicians comes out to your home to perform a chimney inspection, they are essentially doing the same for your flue and fireplace – making sure all is well and good, so that you can enjoy your fireplace with peace of mind.
And, just like in an annual check-up with your physician, if a chimney sweep finds something slightly amiss during your yearly inspection, they are able to diagnose any issues or potential problems swiftly and early – before things escalate. That way, you can schedule a later service to get them taken care of before utilizing your fireplace and chimney in the colder months.
What Happens During a Chimney Inspection?
This ultimately depends on the type of inspection that is being performed. Regardless of the level of chimney inspection, the chimney sweep will analyze various parts and places of your system to check for any leaks, cracks, debris, substance buildup, etc. and look for any problematic areas that might affect the efficiency and overall performance of your chimney.
Now, depending on your specific circumstances, you’ll require either a level 1, 2, or 3 chimney inspection. What does each entail?
Level 1 Chimney Inspection
A level 1 inspection is considered the minimum level of maintenance for an appliance that gets an inspection every year, has had no recent changes or modifications, and that you plan to use regularly – just as you have in the past.
What happens? Under this classification, a technician will inspect all readily accessible (exposed or easily accessed, without requiring any tools to remove doors, coverings, and panels) parts of your chimney – both on the interior and exterior. A chimney sweep looks for any obstructions or debris in the flue liner, as well as examines the general structure and the installation/connection points to ensure all is clear, clean, and set up for success.
Level 2 Chimney Inspection
A level 2 chimney inspection is meant to be performed after the installation of any new parts or after any changes have occurred to your chimney system. These changes can be anything from switching the type of fuel to relining the flue to adding any other additions/replacements to your chimney. This is also the required inspection when property is sold or transferred and after a chimney repair service/maintenance or replacement of a previously damaged appliance.
What happens? This level of inspection is a more in-depth version of a level 1 overview. While the former, “simpler” inspection requires the evaluation of the obviously visible internal and external structures, a level 2 chimney inspection also examines the internal structure through the means of a camera. This level also requires sweeps to check on slightly less accessible parts of the system – i.e. ones where they will have to remove certain doors, panels, and coverings in order to access.
Level 3 Chimney Inspection
A level 3 chimney inspection is the last line of defense when it has been determined (through either a level 1 or 2 inspection) that there is a potential hazardous issue found deeper inside the system.
What happens? Much like the first two levels, a level 3 inspection includes the investigation of the visible interior and exterior components of the system. This level goes one step further, however, and requires the chimney technician to remove certain parts of the chimney or surrounding wall, in order to get a better look at the inner workings of the system.
How Often Do You Need To Get Your Chimney Inspected?
We lightly touched on this already, but just to be clear…at a minimum you should be getting your chimney inspected once a year. Not only is this required by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), but it ultimately saves you time and money in the future.
For example, let’s say your chimney has a few moderately severe cracks in your flue liner – often a result of age and normal wear and tear. As a homeowner who only uses your fireplace every so often, there is no real reason you’d know about this, especially because it is not visible or easily accessible. An inspection will allow us to spot the damage early and address it with affordable repair services, ensuring functionality and value stay at peak levels – without requiring a full rebuild.
If sweeps are about to enter their busy season, schedules can be challenging to correlate, which is frustrating when all you want to do is utilize your chimney system. It’s all just a major nuisance. Save yourself the headache, and schedule your chimney cleaning and inspection before it’s an issue – well in advance of when you anticipate you’d be using it most.
Due for a sweep? Call or book online today.
What Should I Inspect My Chimney For? Is There a Standard Chimney Inspection Checklist?
Yes… and no. This is where the type of inspection you’re getting comes in. The three levels of inspection all build on each other, so there is a basic checklist that is followed from one level to the next – just in increasing complexity at every stage.
Keep in mind that some chimney sweeps have a different process than others, but generally speaking, every level of inspection should involve some semblance of the following procedures:
- Investigate the flashing to ensure there are no cracks or leaks that could allow water to permeate through the barriers. A sweep might need to also check the attic for signs of water damage.
- Inspect the chimney cap for signs of damage, corrosion, or degradation, as well as make sure that it is still properly sealed.
- Check out the state of your bricks and mortar to verify that they are still in strong working order. Depending on the age of your chimney, as well as your history with its maintenance, it is possible for both the bricks and the mortar to be cracking and deteriorating – which will only cause inefficiencies and more harm in the long run.
- Look for animals (or traces of them) that may have found their way into your chimney. Certainly better to check for them before it gets colder and you’re looking to spark up a fire instead of learning you had house guests after that first fire, right?
- Check the flue and its liner for any internal damage, like soot buildup (also known as creosote) and cracks or deterioration of the liner. (In a level 1, this step will be less elaborate than levels 2 or 3 since it does not require the technician to remove any panels, doors, or coverings.)
- Verify that the damper is working properly so that the chimney has the ability to be properly closed when not in use. This prevents damage to the system, downdrafts from causing heating issues, and dust and other materials from blowing back into a house.
- Inspect the firebox and surrounding area for any damaged or cracking bricks and mortar.
Do I Need To Schedule a Chimney Inspection if I Don’t Use My Chimney?
While an unused chimney system might be free from scorch marks, excessive soot, creosote buildup, and other well-worn signs of regular, fire-burning activity, that does not mean there aren’t things that could still be wrong – or on the verge of being wrong – within the appliance.
So yes – even unused (or rarely used) chimneys need annual chimney inspection services.
Maybe you’re thinking, “…but wouldn’t all the damage to a chimney be due to fire..?” And to that we say no. Regard the following possibilities:
- It’s not uncommon for little critters to squeeze and crawl into tight, dark places to stay warm, build nests, and raise babies. What better place than a chimney that doesn’t smell of ash, flames, and gas – and doesn’t seem to be used – to establish a new home?
- Water, leaves, and other debris brought by mother nature’s many moods have a special talent for weaving into places and spaces in which they do not belong. And depending on how long they’re left to melt/congeal/seep, they can wreak havoc on the exposed part of your chimney. It’s kind of like when you wash a pair of pants with a piece of gum in them – you didn’t even chew the gum and now you’re forced to clean up after it anyway.
- Natural wear and tear. It happens to us all, right? We never think we need our hamstrings to be all that flexible until we bend to pick something up off the ground and, suddenly, we’re all too aware of the tightness. The same (well, theoretically, anyway) is true for your chimney. Over time, the materials can deteriorate naturally which means, if you ever do decide to use your system, you’re putting yourself and your home in danger.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, but rather meant to help illustrate the importance of booking those annual chimney inspections – whether you light fires often or not.
What Are the Parts of My Chimney?
In order to fully understand your chimney system and why it is important to schedule annual chimney inspections, it might be helpful to learn a bit more about the makeup of the appliance itself. While chimneys can vary slightly (brick masonry or prefabricated, gas or wood-burning, etc.), for the most part they all contain the following elements that work in tandem with each other to create an efficient system.
- Firebox: This is the part most chimney-owners are familiar with – the part where your fires actually sit. Because it comes into direct contact with the fire’s flames, it must be made of a material strong enough to withstand that heat.
- Smoke Shelf: As the name suggests, the smoke shelf is a small ledge located inside the structure between the firebox and smoke chamber which helps to prevent downdrafts, as well as keep outside debris from reaching the firebox.
- Damper: The function of which is to seal your chimney when it’s not in use, the damper is a manual mechanism that sits on the end of the smoke shelf and is controlled by a lever usually found in the top of your firebox.
- Smoke Chamber: This refers to the area in between the firebox and the flue. It’s shaped like an upside-down funnel, and it helps to funnel the smoke from your fire, so it can effectively rise up to your flue without backdrafting or increasing buildup.
- Chimney Flue: The chimney flue is the inside opening space starting just above the smoke chamber and ending where the chimney meets the open air with a cap. It’s essentially just the tunnel through which your gases and smoke travel.
- Chimney Liner: The flue liner is the material lining the inner walls of your chimney and thus, by proxy, the flue itself. Depending on the style and design of your chimney, the liner might be made of different materials and may also vary slightly in shape.
- Chimney Flashing: The flashing is a waterproof metal seal that is found at the junction where the chimney meets the roof. This piece is vital for protecting both your chimney and your home from moisture penetration and leaks.
- Chimney Crown: The chimney crown is the cement shelf-like structure found at the top of the system. Acting as a barrier (and in many cases, a sort of umbrella), its job is to protect the bricks and mortar from direct contact with rain.
- Chimney Cap: Sitting at the very top of your chimney, right above the crown, is the chimney cap. Regardless of the type of chimney you have, thanks to its design, a chimney cap helps to seal off the flue from debris and small animals, while still providing an escape route for the smoke.
How Do I Know if My Chimney Is Safe To Use?
In many cases, you don’t, which is why booking your yearly inspection is so important. Sure, there are the obvious signs of needed maintenance, like extreme soot buildup, layers of creosote caking the walls of the firebox, visible cracks and crumbling mortar, and more…but there are also a ton of instances where the only way you would know something was wrong or off is after your chimney has been inspected from the inside out by a professional.
That’s why we’re here – to perform the routine maintenance that keeps your chimney not only functional, but operating in tip-top shape. We provide the best chimney and stove services near you. Give us a call or book online to learn more or schedule an appointment.
How Do You Inspect Your Chimney Yourself?
This, friends, is a trick question because the answer is: you don’t. Seemingly simple in structure and function, chimneys are actually deceivingly complex and dangerous when you don’t know the ins and outs of the system. Luckily, here at SureGlow Stove & Chimney, we do. We are professionally trained to do the dirty (and, believe us, it gets quite dirty) work and ensure everything is in optimal, functional condition.
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Ready To Schedule Your Chimney Inspection? Reach Out Today
To learn more about chimney inspection costs, how often a chimney really needs to be cleaned, and if chimney sweeps are “worth it” (we are!), give us a call or schedule online. We’re the best of the best when it comes to the chimney and stove industries – that’s why we have so many five-star ratings from our customers.
Book with us today – we’d love to help you out.
What else do our chimney services cover? If you have leak-related damages or water infiltration, we can help with that too.