Chimney inspection is an annual procedure for all houses with a chimney required by NFPA 211 fire codes which state that homeowners must inspect their chimneys if they hadn’t been closed off. Chimney cleaning or chimney sweeping is a mandatory first step in chimney inspection.
Chimney cleaning should be performed at least annually or even more frequently, depending on the usage, it is the best way to keep your home safe.
Over time, your chimney can accumulate significant quantities of combustion deposits, a prime cause for chimney fires. An annual inspection and chimney sweeping help to avoid potential fire incidents, chimney fractures, and loss of integrity.
Besides the safety factors, having a regularly cleaned chimney helps avoid any insurance cost spikes. It is also worth noting that regular cleaning of your chimney helps ensure that any micro fires inside the chimney don’t lead to more extensive house fires, thus, avoiding reduced insurance payouts or denied claims due to improper chimney maintenance.
3 stages of chimney inspection
Level 1 chimney inspection is carried out along with chimney sweeping to identify the overall state of the chimney. This stage is enough if the chimney is in satisfactory condition and has no damage that prevents further use. Or, alternatively, if the condition is so bad that further use is out of the question.
Level 2 inspection is conducted if the previous stage revealed damage that significantly increases the risk of fire, or if there are signs of concealed damage. In this case, further use is intended, and it’s important to assess the scope of the damage in full.
Level 3 inspection is a deep analysis of the chimney condition, including cases when it’s impossible to assess the condition of the inner surface without removing the deposits.
Let’s take a closer look at the first level of chimney inspection – sweeping the chimney. Maintaining the cleanliness of your chimney is essential for its proper functioning.
Chimney Cleaning and Inspection
To conduct Level 1 chimney inspection we only use a brush, a flashlight, and a vacuum cleaner. As part of the procedure, the chimney’s top and bottom sections, as well as the fireplace, undergo an examination to detect any damage that may lead to high temperature combustion products contacting flammable materials surrounding the fireplace and chimney.
To perform a perfect chimney cleaning, we need to make sure the surfaces are clean. We cover the fireplace vent and the area surrounding the fireplace with plastic film. For extra large fireplaces, an air purifier with an 800 CFM capacity is stationed next to the fireplace to enhance efficiency of the cleaning while we are vacuuming the chimney.
After a thorough chimney and fireplace cleaning, and a visual inspection of the pipe, we draw a conclusion regarding the chimney’s integrity. When we suspect that the integrity of the chimney is compromised, we suggest conducting a Level 2 chimney inspection that requires the use of a camera to inspect the riser pipe.
Benefits of Regular Chimney Sweeping
Sweeping your chimney regularly brings a range of benefits safeguarding your home and improving your chimney’s efficiency.
The reasons to invest in a professional chimney sweeping service include:
- Ensuring fire prevention
- Evaluating the safety standards of the chimney, including checking for any fractures, assessing internal and external surface damage that could lead to further disintegration, examining for critical creosote build-up, and inspecting the condition of the chimney damper
- Protection against carbon monoxide and smoke
- Mitigating heat loss and promoting the safe usage of the fireplace, boiler, and heater
- Lowering insurance costs or preventing potential increases
- Aesthetic cleanliness
We are Offering Top Quality Chimney Sweeping in NYC
We at MainDuct are dedicated to delivering excellent chimney sweeping and deep chimney inspection in New York City and New Jersey, maintaining the best chimney cleaning standards.
Maintenance of Your Brick Chimneys
Most brick chimneys in American homes require regular professional chimney cleaning. To prevent damage (and subsequent collapse or a very expensive repair job) of the load-carrying part, a clay flue liner is installed inside the chimney. Due to constant exposure to thermal and chemical agents, with time clay chimneys crumble, and cracks appear.
Most of the old brick chimneys accumulate large quantities of deposits that can lead to damage and often a fire.
We highly recommend relining damaged chimneys to mitigate the risks. It is important to schedule a regular chimney cleaning and inspection after relining your chimney to avoid an accumulation of deposits that would cause the same damages again.
When dealing with metal liners, more meticulous inspections and cleanings are required. Depending on the metal’s composition, it may accumulate more deposits and deteriorate faster if used improperly.
Chimney inspection is carried out along with chimney sweeping to identify the overall state of the chimney. This stage is enough if the chimney is in satisfactory condition and has no damage that prevents further use. Or, alternatively, if the condition is so bad that further use is out of the question.
