This is the only related thing in this particular house that I am able to inspect. The fuel oil burning furnace. I inspected for corrosion and found none. I inspected the rate of rise between the base of the vent and the point at which it enters the concrete wall and the rise appears to be acceptable. The thimble is present and in good shape however the vent duct is secured to the thimble with duct tape and as well there is duct tape along other connections in the vent pipe. I am not confident that this is proper procedure as this is high heat and potentially combustible gasses flowing through this duct. Much different than duct work for carrying mild temperature air of a normal HVAC air supply duct. The vent duct also appears to be extremely close to the gas supply line
This is an image of a wood burning stove and it’s surrounding hearth and mantel.
It has a tile hearth extension which extends 17" from the front face of the fireplace opening and was set over a mortar bed.
The distance from the edge of the glass doors to the wood columns at either side was 8" and 12" to the lowest part of the wood mantel which protruded 1 1/2".
These criteria met current safety standards.
This is an image of a wood burning stove and it’s surrounding hearth and mantel.
It has a tile hearth extension which extends 17" from the front face of the fireplace opening and was set over a mortar bed.
The distance from the edge of the glass doors to the wood columns at either side was 8" and 12" to the lowest part of the wood mantel which protruded 1 1/2".
These criteria met current safety standards.
The two articles of choice today were “Central Humidifiers” where I learned that Humidifiers can cause various diseases. The young, elderly and infirm may be particularly at risk to contamination from airborne pollutants, such as bacteria and fungi.These can grow in humidifiers and get into the air by way of the vapor where it can be breathed in.
The second article of choice was “Ceiling Fan Inspection” where I learned about the components.
electric motor: varies with the size of the fan and its application;
blades: typically, two to six spinning, precision-weighted blades made from metal, wood or plastic; industrial fans typically have three blades, while residential models have four or five;
blade irons: connect the blades to the motor;
safety cable: on heavy fans, these are required to hold the fan in place in case the support housing fails;
flywheel: connects the blade irons to the motor;
ceiling mount: designs include ball-in-socket and J-hook;
downrod: used where ceiling fans are suspended from high ceilings;
motor housing: protects the fan motor from dust and its surroundings; may also be decorative; and
lamps: may be installed above, below or inside the motor housing.
The chimney and wall edge flashings have tar installed around its base where its meets the roof as a sealant rather than a standard metallic flashing. Although this is common on many homes, they can become problematic and allow for leakage. Often tar flashings will require periodic reapplication of roofing tar to remain water tight. You should consider it prudent to have this intersection examined by a qualified roofer to estimate the cost of installing a proper chimney flashing. A repair of this nature may require some shingle replacement and the costs of repairs should be considered prior to settlement.
This photo shows a cricket behind the fireplace chimney. Notice that there is no step flashing or counter flashing installed. The shingles were simply turned up against the chimney and silicone caulk was applied.
Also notice that at the ridge line of the cricket, extra silicone caulk was added to create a rounded effect to better shed rain water from this area.
It was recommended that a licensed roofer install the proper step flashings and that they be covered by a counter flashing as well.
This is a manufactured fireplace with openings on opposing ends of the firebox, which provides a fireplace in both living room and kitchen within the same firebox and exhaust system. The course did not mention double opening fireplaces, so for purposes of my inspection, I treated each side as separate fireplaces when measuring opening and hearth extension dimensions. Fireplace openings clocked in just shy of 3 square feet (17"x26"). Hearth extensions on both sides were acceptable; for living room side, 16" in front and beyond sides; for kitchen side, 22" in front and 24" beyond sides. There was an unsealed air gap in the side opening for the gas log starter supply pipe that needed to be sealed with a non-combustible material to prevent heat from getting behind the firebrick panel.
The fireplace has a damper that functioned normally. There was no smoke chamber or shelf in this system, rather the chamber hood was domed and peaked where the 8" double-lined steel chimney connected. There was some creosote build-up on the damper and chimney walls. Also, there was an unknown obstruction, roughly 1/8th of the circle near the top of the chimney pipe. It’s not visible in the picture, but I could see it from below with my flashlight. Recommend cleaning and further inspection by a certified professional.
Fireplace Fuel by Nick Gromicko, and Hearths and Hearth Extensions by Nick Gromicko and Kenton Shepard.
Any burned fuel is going to give off fumes that we don’t want in our bodies or homes, but some fuels are much more dangerous than others. This article describes the good, bad & ugly in a typical family fireplace setting. However, if you’re surviving on a mountainside, forget this advice…any fuel is great fuel! For the acceptable fuel wood, it needs to be dry, less than ~20%. For one, dry wood burns cleaner and hotter with less moisture, which all reduces creosote buildup. It will also reduce the little steam explosions (popping) in the wood that can throw glowing embers half-way across the room.
Extended hearth dimensions depend on the fireplace opening size. According to the Phase I standards, six square feet seems to be the threshold between small and large fireplaces as the hearth extension front/back and to-the-side dimensions increase as six square feet is exceeded. The code also gives a thickness limit for thresholds, but I’m guessing that in most cases, visual inspectors will not be able to determine actual depth.
This is a photo of a chimney to a pre fabricated wood burning fireplace. As you can see a tree branch has grown into the spark arrestor and even singed the branch. Recommend that branches be cut back away from the chimney and that the chimney be evaluated and repaired by a licensed professional prior to use of the fireplace.
Commenting on “Chimney Inspection-Preventing Collapse”
Many years ago while working as a general contractor, I was called by another contractor and was asked to meet with him to look at a problem with chimney separation on a house that he was working on. Upon arriving it was easy to see what was going on as the chimney had tilted back away from the house leaving an inch of separation at the soffit area. This chimney was approx. 40’ tall to the crown and 6’ wide at the base. So this was a massive chimney with a dangerous situation going on. After discussing what should be done, I suggested digging down to see what size footing might be under the chimney. We dug down in a small section and found the footing to be 8" deep, matching what was used on the buildings footings. I recommended to my friend that he should not peruse this any farther until he spoke with an architect about it. Anyway it was recommended by the architect that the chimney be disassembled brick by brick and the footings be replaced with a 24" spreader type footing to handle this size chimney.
I found this study course and article to be of particular interest because of this issue happening in the past.
Commenting on "Fire extinguisher maintenance and inspection "
I noticed in the article a statement saying that a “water extinguisher” poses a risk of electrical shock to the operator. Then the article states that a misting type tip would breakup the stream of water reducing the path of electricity back to the operator. So my question is, “Should an inspector check the tip of the hose outlet to insure that it is a misting type.” This was not mentioned in the items that an inspector should check, other than checking the condition of the discharge hose itself.
Also mentioned in the article, “An inspector should not check the rating of fire extinguishers nor if there are an adequate number of them”. My question is, if an inspector finds an "A,B,C extinguisher in a commercial kitchen next to the deep fryer, shouldn’t we indicate the improper selection as a fire hazard to the client? I’m curious about these statements and the potential safety concerns.
Good article though, thanks Nick, Kenton.
Nearly 75% of fireplaces are factory built and are often made for new construction. They are made of a firebox within a steel cabinet and a steel chimney or flue. They can be installed easily on any floor of a home. Factory built fireplaces are considered safe and efficient, however traditional fire-safety precautions should still be followed.
Chimneys are among the heaviest and most structurally vulnerable of all exterior components of a building. Chimneys should be inspected for mortar between the bricks or stone that crumble when poked with a screwdriver. Visible tilting or separation from the building.
An infrared (IR) camera is a versatile, lightweight and cutting edge device that can enhance an inspectors understanding of a buildings different systems and components. Thermal images are generally used in inspection reports to visually document problems found on site. It is also used to locate anomalies through differences in apparent temperatures, analyze the patterns, and document the issues.
This note is in partial fulfillment of the “How to Inspect Fireplaces, Stoves, and Chimneys” class.
The picture is of a wood stove two or three wall stainless stack deep in the woods of Oregon. Structure built in 1930, nearly a one room shanty. (A real Deliverance set! [1972 movie].) Pitch of the roof is an 8/12. Height of the stack is 8 feet, above the ridge by a foot or two. Apertures in the cap are almost sealed with creosote. This is the only heat source in the house.
****<h1>[size=3][FONT=Arial Black][FONT=Garamond]This note is in partial fulfillment of the “How to Inspect Fireplaces. . .” class. Definitely like the lack of freedom in textual formatting here. . .
Articles read were “Fireplace Fuels” and “Firestops.”
I examine firewood when inspecting for pests, notably carpenter ants and powder post beetles. I also note how close the wood is to the house/garage, and if it is covered.
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this factory built fireplace has an exterior air intake located on the outside exterior wall of the dwelling. it is properly installed in a good location and is free of any obstructions
** “How to Inspect Fireplaces, Stoves, & Chimneys”
The fire place in the images above is of stone and clay construction and all picture were taken from on top of the residents roof because i didnt have access to the interior of the house… Image one shows a massive build up of creosote in the fireplace flue and a large amount of mortar cracking even missing. Image twoabove shows a metal rain cap and a metal spark arrestor that is completely consumed with creosote with only a few opening in the screen arrestor clear of creosote. I have no clue how the person currently living in this house operates this system but i would highly recommend to them and the potential buyers that the fireplace is not to be used whatsoever until a specialist fully cleans and examines the fireplace…**
This article depicts the significant dangers of a chimney collapse, and specifically the issues in earthquake prone areas. Chimneys should be checked closely for separation, deterioration especially at mortar joins, leaning, and/or footing issues. Good preparedness is to brace tall chimneys, protect attic with additional plywood where a potential chimney collapse would occur, move children’s play areas away from the chimney, and be sure that in earthquake prone areas that everyone is aware to stay away from the chimney.
The chimney being inspected is used for an oil fired forced hot water boiler, visual inspection of the exposed sections of the chimney show no cracking or chipping of the blocks or mortar, and no signs of leakage, the chimney is nearly 100% enclosed with a clean out that is covered but wood boards and trim,the chimney is completely covered on them main floor, the attic area is inaccessible at this time due to items stored in the closet of the attic access, the clean out cover was not removed by the homeowner making the clean out inaccessible and making inspection of the chimneys clean out unavailable, room to remove the boiler vent was not allowed by the boiler installation, making both cleaning and inspection impossible. I recommend an inspection of the chimney be done by a licensed chimney sweep for possible concealed issues.
Factory built fireplaces now make up about 75% of all fireplaces. These fireplaces are typically made up of a firebox with steel surrounds with an air gap that allows for a cool exterior touch and minimum clearance to combustibles on installation thus called zero clearance fireplaces. These fireplaces can be installed just about anywhere and much lighter than its masonry counterpart as its chimney is also typically steel based and requires 2" inch clearance from combustibles except where the firestop is necessary between floor and the attic. Similar to a traditional fireplace all fire safety precautions should also be adhered to and normal maintenance of the chimney and flue should be maintained for safe operation.
