Home Inspection Services

Chimney Diagram
Ever wonder what your fireplace looks like? Here is a cut away view? Click to enlarge pictures.
As a home inspector you will need to identified and describe all of the components of the fireplace and chimney to your client. Customers have many questions as it pertains to the fireplace in the home. Remember only 47% of the people who buy a home with a fireplace have ever use one for themselves.
Home Buyers should make sure their home inspector checks the functionality of the damper assembly and overall cleanliness of the fire box and flu stack. Another big part of the inspection is the chimney cap and screen. Here inspectors find many deficiency. Cracks in mortar missing spark catchers, screens or undersized screens are common finds.
Some chimney inspections turn up major defects such as bricks that have deteriorated, missing mortar that causes bricks to come loose. Structural defects caused by settlement or earth movement. Cracked or damaged flu liners. At times a home inspector will find chimneys that have pulled away from the home completely. Another form of fire place is the combination wood and gas burning firebox. Similar to wood burning in the form of maintenance and cleaning. This type of system will have a gas log lighter add to help with lighting the fireplace. On the other hand many homes today are built with Gas only fireplaces. This is a big departure from the wood burning fireplace. Modern gas fireplaces are easy additions to most remodeling projects. Using only a fraction of the floor space need by a traditional masonry fireplace, their efficiency and heat output can rival a traditional furnace. 40,000 Btu units, for example, can heat a small home. Some units will come as a direct-vent or even vent-free models are available. If you need a inspection on your fireplace or chimney contact us.

David Home Inspection Service
www.homeinspectionservices.org