Article 1
I chose Fireplace Fuel to write on. Here is an example of what can be burned n a fireplace or wood stove. Dried cut firewood such as maple and oak which are hardwoods or fir and pine which are softwoods. Softwoods work best as the fire starter as they ignite easily and burn fast where hardwoods burn slower therefore lasting longer. A sample of what not to burn would include damp wood as it leaves behind more residue, CCA treated lumber as it releases toxins, or painted wood as it release dangerous heavy metals. Never burn your trash in a fireplace or wood stove.
Article 2
I chose Pellet Stoves for Inspectors to write on. As their name alludes to, pellet stoves burn pellets as fuel. These pellets are made from sawdust, corn, wood shavings and cherry pits that are dried out and compressed. This process is more efficient and produces less ash than traditional wood. Pellet stoves heat is concentrated to the front therefore requiring less distance between sidewalls and rear walls when unit is installed. Pellet stoves are vastly different from wood stoves.
This is a single story home built in 1975. The chimney is located in the garage, which is fairly commend in this area. The problem is that the fireplace clean-out is in the garage, violating the firewall which is a safety issue.
This picture is the basement fireplace. The firebox, hearth and other visible areas of the fireplace appear to be in good condition. The damper functioned properly. Recommend a screen to cover the fireplace opening when in use, and yearly inspection of the flue.
I reviewed the article on Fireplace fuel. The best fuels are dried and seasoned hardwoods such as maple and oak or softwoods like pine. Untreated scrap construction lumber can be used as long as it has no paint or glues (like plywood). Firewood should be dried to about 20% or less moisture before burning.
The second article I read was on chimney inspection. Earthquakes are a major concern that can lead to chimney collapses in parts of the country. Some items to mare carefully observe are deterioration of the brick and mortar from freeze-thaw, leaning, or tilting, or pulling away from the building. Damage fro a leaning chimney can also cause cracked hearths or chimney flues, which can cause buildup of smoke in the home or cause a fire hazard.
The attached photo reveals a wood faced chase that houses a vent pipe servicing a prefab wood burning fireplace. As the photo reveals the faux wood logs have deteriorated (rotted) due to moisture, which results from the faux logs having inadequate (2") clearance from the roofing material and appears to hve improperly installed flashing.
The pictured fireplace appears in fairly good condition, though accumulation of soot on the flue was observed and professional attention from a qualified chimney sweep recommended.
The hearth was found to be 16" deep with a firebox opening of just a bit less than 6 sf, with adequate width of well over a foot on each side of the firebox.
The damper was found to be operative.
The general condition of the flue and firebox appeared good with no visible cracks, voids or other signs of deterioration.
No fire extinguisher, smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector was found in the room containing the fireplace and the addition of these items was recommended.
I read two articles pursuant to this assignment, “Factory-Built Fireplaces” and “Hearths and Hearth Extensions.”
Factory built fireplaces appear more desirable in most applications than their masonry counterparts for a number of reasons. The prefab units can be placed in most any room, making them a default choice in remodeling work. They have been been throughly tested in a laboratory setting, a difficult thing to do in the case of a site-built unit. While I don’t have any data to back this up, I’d wager that they are significantly cheaper too.
Naturally, the aesthetic value of a big, old brick fireplace could hardly be reproduced by a prefabricated unit, I think I’d prefer a UL rating on anything in my house that was meant to contain fire.
Home heating included an older wood stove which appeared to be in serviceable condition at the time of the inspection. It was not operated. Inspection of wood stoves typically includes visual examination of the following components:
This photo features a chimney crown. Although not a problem now, however, there are minor cracks, which over time will become enlarged due to freeze and thaw cycles. I don’t believe the following is a major problem, but the crown does not extend its course to the edge of the top bricks featured on the left. It may allow for the exposed top brick mortar joints to be at greater risk for deterioration. Also, water may pool on top of the exposed bricks at the edge of the crown and cause edge deterioration at that interface.
The two articles that are being reported on include: ‘Fireplace Fuel’ and ‘Kickout Flashing’.
An important point that I learned from the ‘Fireplace Fuel’ article, was to look for the labeling ‘MB’ if pallets are to be used as a fuel source. Generally, pallets are safe to use as fuel, but when they are treated with methyl bromide (MB), they are unsafe to burn.
Kickout flashing (diverter flashing) is crucial in protecting vulnerable areas from water penetration. The following situations warrant kickout flashing to be installed:
-where the gutter terminates at the side of a chimney (vulnerable intersection)
-where a roof and exterior wall intersect,
-where the wall continues past the lower roof-edge and gutter
The crown on this fireplace chimney is deteriorated and cracked. The crown was possibly constructed with an inferior mortar mix, which has deteriorated from the weather. The cracks in the crown can allow moisture to penetrate into the chimney and flue causing a serious risk of further damage and poses a fire hazard. Repair or replace the chimney crown with a concrete crown that overlaps the masonry and slopes away from the flue opening.
Moisture Intrusion
Moisture intrusion can cause extensive damage to a property as well as health concerns for the home owner. Moisture can get into the home in many different ways including threw the air, roof leaks, plumbing and flooding. If not properly handled can deteriorate the house and even support the growing of mold.
Mudjacking
Back in the day the only option for a sinking sidewalk or uneven foundation was to rip it out and start all over. Today there is a process called mudjacking where slurry is pumped beneath the sunken slab in order to raise it back up. This process has many benefits including price, speed, efficiency and is environment friendly.
Add on wood burner in basement. Chimney from add on is black double walled, non insulated pipe transitioning to a stainless steel insulated pipe 20 inches from nearby combustible materials. A metal insert is around pipe where it passes through the floor, leaving a 2" space around the pipe. Recommend a certified chimney sweep inspect and clean the chimney if add on wood furnace is to be used.
Hearth & Hearth Extensions: Simply put the hearth and hearth extensions are the noncombustible flooring around the front and sides of a fireplace opening. The design and purpose is to catch any embers and coals that may leave the fireplace either by the action of the fire or by loading or cleaning the fireplace. Inspectors need to check the dimensions to ensure that they are large enough to prevent possible fires from combustible floor coverings.
Residential Fire Sprinklers: Improvements with residential fire sprinkler systems have made them more affordable, easier to install, and operate. The improvements to the systems have allowed single sprinkler head activation only in areas where needed, avoiding water damage to areas of the home not on fire. The systems use less water and therefore less water damage than a response from the fire department and can operate quickly, eliminating the response time from fire departments, which is beneficial if the home location is far away from local fire departments.
Reviewed two nice articles on new technologies being used in the remediation industry. XRF to identify problem drywall and abrasive blasting for mold.
Interesting article on the XRF technology and with the information provided it raises the awareness of the importance to have additional supportive evidence before making conclusions. Not unlike using a thermal imager to locate hidden moisture and then backing it up with moisture meter readings.
Nice articleon the abrasive blasting for mold remediation. This technology has been used extensively in my area for restoration of exterior brick and removing grafitti from bridges and walls. Nice to see another use for the technology.
This wood stove has a non-combustible wall where the stove pipe enters the chimney and is properly sloped. The stove is mounted on ceramic tile on slab foundation. Also there is a distance of 36 inches to the firewood and 30 inches in front of the stove.
Hi,
Just read carbon Monoxide Poisoning & Detectors and Fire Safety in the Home articles. Very good reading! My wife who works in a hardware store told me a story last week of a man who had earlier bought a pellet stove there and a carbon monoxide detector as well. He installed the stove himself and apparently improperly because the first night he and his wife used it they woke to the detectors alarm. They both had headaches but were fine. He said that the detector saved their lives!
