Wood Burning Chimney inspection

[Charles Hellickson]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

You can't recommend too many other pros to inspect after yourself!! You're supposed to be the HI pro.......it'll end up repeating what happened to a realtor here a few weeks ago..........showing up for the inspection were licensed carpenter, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician. The buyer had a prior inspection recommend a couple of other pros so on this house he said "Might as well call the pros first and save myself the cost of the first incomplete home inspection!!"

So, even if you could not observe all of the components, you would just call it good then? and not recommend a chimney sweep or other qualified person to inspect further?

I. The inspector shall inspect:

A. The fireplace, and open and close the damper door if readily accessible and operable.
B. Hearth extensions and other permanently installed components.
C. And report as in need of repair deficiencies in the lintel, hearth and material surrounding the fireplace, including clearance from combustible materials

[jkogel]

Here's a shot from an inspection last week. I would have been lax not to report this to my client. Of course I do not do a formal woodstove inspection and I would never say that an installation was safe to use. I might report that the flue liner appeared to be clean and intact, I take a snapshot down the chimney if possible, and that there appeared to be adequate clearances, etc. Also check for a registration tag. This info helps the client make their buying decision - that the stove will likely pass a formal WETT inspection, if need be.

John Kogel
www.allsafehome.ca

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by chellickson

So, even if you could not observe all of the components, you would just call it good then? and not recommend a chimney sweep or other qualified person to inspect further?


I. The inspector shall inspect:

A. The fireplace, and open and close the damper door if readily accessible and operable.
B. Hearth extensions and other permanently installed components.
C. And report as in need of repair deficiencies in the lintel, hearth and material surrounding the fireplace, including clearance from combustible materials

The inspector shall also:
- stick his head in the firebox and have a look at the chimney liner , smoke shelf and chamber and amount of creosote, if any.
- climb the roof, if not dangerous, and have a look down the flue for any obstructions and amount of creosote. If not possible or visible, call in the pros.
-recommend cleaning when necessary, (not every chimney needs it)
-know when to recommend a chimney scan

[Jack L. Gilleland]

I thought it was our job to find issues that could be problematic for our buyers. None of us (not even the best) can be the end all to each inspection, but we should look around enough to know if we need to call in "THE PROs".
The SOP leaves a lot of lattitude for how far we take the inspection.
Inspected this one last week. Is there anyone on this board that doesn't think there is a problem here.

[Jon Randolph]

Originally Posted by jgilleland

Inspected this one last week. Is there anyone on this board that doesn't think there is a problem here.
Attachment 21432

I would say that the chase is definately too large for the lliner and has allowed the liner to "fall" to one side of the chase, opening a gap between the flue tiles towards the bottom of the chase. Cahase probaby doesn't have a cap at the top either. This may be a good candidate for a solid s/s liner with a good metal cap.

[Jeff Orcas]

Several years ago there was an E+O case widely reported on the inspector boards where a client went after the inspector for about $10K because of an unreported chimney defect. Regardless of the merits of the case (the inspector did recommend a chimney sweep inspect it) fireplace repairs can be big bucks. Also liability can be quite large especially if a house fire is involved. A million dollar policy may not be enough especially if the occupants are injuried.

My feeling is that I am looking out for the best interests of my clients by recommending a level II inspection. If they choose not to do it, its by their choice. We still may be sucked into a suit but will have documented proof that we called it out.

Jeff