Ice dams can cause a lot of water damage to a home. Wire heating elements are not the best solution and can cause damage to the shingles. The best solution is to keep the attic cold by sealing all the openings an making sure the eves and soffit vents are clear. If the attic and the outside are the same temperature ice dams will no longer be a problem.
Chimney Inspection: Preventing Collapse
An unsound chimney can cause damage to house or even death if a chimney collapse should occur.
Chimneys should be looked over thoroughly for crumbling mortar, missing or insufficient lateral support straps used to tie the chimney to the structure at the roof and floor levels, damage to the chimney, or poor footing. This will help indicate if a chimney is more likely to collapse in high wind.
The two images are of the exterior part of a fireplace chimney of a home in Miami. The the chimney portion above the roof line is incased with a wooden chase. There are signs of wood rot where the chase meets the roof. The flashing appears to be intact. This issue should be corrected in order to ensure that wind driven rain does not enter the building through the chase and down the chimney and cause moisture problems. There is also the possibility that insects (ie. bees) or vermin could enter the home.
For the research portion of this course I read the article Chimney Inspection: Preventing Collapse. The article presents the dangers that poorly maintained fireplace chimneys can pose to the home’s occupants and neighbors. The article give tips on how to improve safety for homes with chimneys.
Chimneys are not a common feature in homes in South Florida. Never the less it is essential that the homeowners that do have fireplace chimneys keep them well maintained. South Florida is prone to heavy rains and high winds. Both factors that that can cause chimneys to get damaged and collapse.
Chimney Inspections
As a inspector we have to spend good 15 Minutes to inspect the chimney from inside the house to find any safety Hazard Deficiencies,Make sure Gas pipe is properly sealed and Gas connections is in good conditions.
Being located in South Florida, I don’t get to see too many chimneys that were built with the original house. This is a picture showing a wood burning fire place that was converted to gas. (thank you InterNachi for the photo).
John Hawkins NACHI 16121001
Essay for chimney inspection
Well as you can see this is a good looking set up ,the hearth is brick and dose extend beyond 16 inches also has a screened enclosure as well as a fire retardant carpet that is 24 by 52 inches. The damper is in perfect working order, I may suggest a cleaning but I don’t really think it’s a critical issue. There are no combustibles anywhere near the fire box. The box itself is without any visible cracks. Looking down the ceramic liner with a 3 million candle power flashlight revealed no signs of damage. We do keep a 20 lb ABC Extinguisher nearby. Living in this climate we do enjoy a fire almost nightly.
(( I would like to share with you something that happened to me with this particular unit, some of you will laugh and some will think I’m an idiot.) Was letting my dog out a few nights ago and noticed an alarming amount of embers flying out of my termination cap, mind you I live in Colorado and did have one heck of a fire going, got my hands on some very seasoned Doug fir and man did it burn well, anyway. Thinking of the danger of catching my roof on fire, really scared me so the next day I went to my local ACE and found some ¼ by ¼ metal screen(like a moron) I removed the termination cap and layered not 1 but 2 layers of this product into the ceramic ,then reinstalled the termination cap. Thinking I was real smart (HAHA). That night I fired her up and not 1 but 4 times the smoke detectors went crazy…….Upon further investigation, and restarting this course I learned that for one you cannot do that, even that little bit was enough to restrict the draught, additionally the calculation for chimney height says the embers will extinguish in the right height, which I do have………SO the next day, in the snow (really) I was up on the roof uninstalling the ember prevention kit I had mistakenly installed. Re installed the termination kit and has had no problems since. I’m embarrassed, however enlightened to the mathematical calculations that have been integrated into having a fireplace))
My story isn’t really funny, but a very good learning tool and I will not forget the lesson learned.
![DSCN0118[1].jpg](https://discourse-cdn-aws1.com/internachi/original/3X/6/8/688ffeb4ee9673c308d14c33b1b403814f37bd7f.jpeg)
John Hawkins
NACHI 16121001
I found the article on chimney collapse the most interesting…We do still build rock or brick and mortar stacks however there are so many new codes revolving around safety. Honestly as a career builder ive only been involved in a handful of rock or brick installations. People are mostly attracted to gas burning direct termination or building a chase resembling a chimney. They have indeed come a long way in the ease of having a fireplace(for instance ,no wood,no mess,no ash,etc) They are also very specific as to how to install,termination kits,number of 22.5 degree bends etc…
I will however look very thoroughly at older brick and mortar stacks,as i do realize there are a few mitigating circumstance that could tragically effect the occupants. Tectonic movement,wind,improper or out dated building practice,modifications,ans so forth. This was a good article for me,I will be paying close attention.
This picture is of the fireplace in my home. It is a factory-built (pre-fabricated) fireplace. Nothing looks defective. Some factory-built fireplaces have a zero clearance requirement to combustibles. So the items placed on either side of the fireplace in the photo are o.k.
When burned, many items can be hazardous to health and be a threat to your family. Only appropriate and approved fuel should be be burned in your fireplace or wood-stove. Painted wood, pressure treated wood, plywood, damp wood, rotted wood, and lint are all examples of things that are never safe to burn in your fireplace or wood-stove. Dried wood, tree limbs, and fire logs are examples of things are safe to burn.
As a retired firefighter and having experience in chimney sweeping, I highly suggest that wood burning fireplaces be video on all linings. Its extremely important to do a video inspection on all clay flue liners. Clay flu liners will break under the smallest fires. A clay flu liner can and will break from news paper. Stainless and insulated flu liners will separate from the raging fire alone. If any inspector finds a clay flu liner, stainless steel flue liner or an insulated flu liner and there is a separation a video is a must of the flue. Suggestion to the home owner if you find this is to have a full video and visual inspection by a Certified Chimney Sweep and they can be found at:
And only use a reputable certified chimney sweep, all repairs/inspections and cleaning only to be done by a certified chimney sweep before using the fireplace.
I was inspecting a gas fueled fireplace and took a picture of the chimney and the damper. The damper worked properly and the chimney was very clean with no residual buildup. The bottom seam could be taped a bit but other than that the chimney was in good working order.
While researching chimney inspection: Preventing collapse. It is most evident that the more seismic the area the more you need to worry about a chimney collapse. If not in seismic areas there still is a danger from wind rain and sun especially to brick or stone. always look at the chimney for any signs of breakdown.
This is a photo of a prefab fireplace the size is 20" X 40", the hearth is 24" X 64"
the mantels 18’ above the fire opening.
I read the article on fireplace fuel. This article really just covered some if the stuff we went over in this chapter. It was a recap on what you can and cannot burn in your fireplace. You should never burn painted wood in your fireplace to avoid toxins in your home.
The picture is of an exterior chimney. cap ok, the flashing was properly installed at the shingles and the properly installed at the brick.
Hi everyone! I am doing my research project on “Fire Stops”.
In short firestops must seal all unprotected openings in firewalls…
In residential properties, fires tops can be found in these areas:
Between the garage and the living space
Between the attic and the living space,Inspectors should be on the lookout for fireplace and wood stove flues that lack adequate fire-rated sheetrock or metal flashing firestopping.
Fire Stop Materials
Firestop mortar:* Cements made from lightweight aggregates, such as vermiculite or perlite. They are typically colored to distinguish them from other types of cement that lack firestopping characteristics.
sheet metal and fire-rated sheetrock are just a couple more materials that can be used.
This is a picture of an enclosed gas fireplace installed inthis home. It appears to meet all thesafety requirements including 20” tile space in front of the hearth, all flammableshave been kept over 3 feet away from the opening and the tempered glassenclosure/cover is free of any cracks. Inside the hearth, the walls appear intact, showing no signs ofcracks. I could not inspect the chimney,flue or damper, as this particular unit vents through a short pipe extending 3feet out the back of the house from a small chase, but exterior inspectionshowed no safety concerns or deteriorations. The gas shut off valve is located under the fireplace hearth (behind thegrate) and is part of the empty space around the enclosed unit allowing a fanto circulate hot air out into the room.
I chose “Fireplace Fuel” as my study article. This covers any possible fuel type one couldburn in a fireplace and particularly focuses on the dangers of certain types offuel. I especially found the informationregarding how to tell when wood is dry to be interesting and helpful. Also, the fact that most pallets can beburned in a wood burning fireplace was also of interest, although it’s good toknow where the pallet came from so you know what may have been spilled on itduring its use. Dryer lint…who wouldhave known it to contain so many nasty chemicals, although I would never havethought to use it as a fire starter…