Chimney video scanning

A home inspection is on almost every home buyer’s to-do list when it comes to a home purchase. Beyond the basic inspection, a home buyer can hire specialists for other issues such as a pest or a chimney inspection.

A smaller percentage of would-be home buyers invest in a dedicated chimney inspection than in a general inspection, said Gene Michael, owner of Top Hat Chimney Services. Why? A chimney professional will often find problems after the home owners have taken possession of the property, he said, noting some of the most common problems:

• Deteriorated chimney crowns.
• Deteriorated brick and mortar, especially near the top of the chimney.
• Defective flue liners for fireplaces, furnaces or water heaters.
• Defective or improperly installed factory-built fireplaces.
• Corrosion in the smoke chamber.
• Solid fuel appliances that were installed without a permit.

Some of the problems could cost thousands of dollars to fix, Michael said.

Jayne Mallwitz, associate broker at ReMax First in Brighton and Greece, suggests to her home buyers to have a separate chimney inspection conducted by a professional, especially when it’s an older fireplace.

“You want to err on the side of caution but you don’t want people to spend money needlessly,” she said.

With a chimney, major repairs can be costly, Mallwitz said. And the condition of the chimney is not visible compared to other parts of the home that are visible, she added.

The fee structure for most inspections that includes all accessible portions of the chimney exterior and interior at Top Hat is $124. The company also offers a video scan of the liner for an additional $75.

With traditional fireplaces, the fire is vented through a flue that is usually lined with clay tile. Some of the older fireplaces in this area are venting into flues that have no lining, Michael noted.

Clay tile liners are particularly susceptible to cracking and breaking when exposed to rapid temperature increases that occur during chimney fires, Michael said. They are also sensitive to environmental degradation due to rain and snow.

Once these liners have cracked, they must be replaced. If not, a chimney fire would be much more likely to spread into the structure of the home, Michael explained. Cracked liners also have the potential to allow toxic gases to find their way into the living space of a home, he added.

A common repair for a damaged flue is the installation of a new stainless steel liner. Prices for stainless steel lining generally run about $100 a vertical foot installed, Michael said.

Zero-clearance factory built fireplaces are different from traditional fireplaces and entered the market in the 1970s.

One of the most common problems with the factory-built fireplaces is the installation of aftermarket glass doors. These aftermarket doors sometimes block the air circulating vents around the firebox, he said.

And then there are the wood stoves and fireplace inserts. Michael cautions home buyers to check to make sure permits were obtained per the town’s regulation for the installation.

In addition to the chimney and wood stove, look into hot water heater and furnaces that may vent into the chimney, Mallwitz said. Because real estate is such an expensive purchase, it makes sense to be extra cautious, she said.