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CHIMNEYS AND FIREPLACES
CHIMNEY
All type of chimneys will
be visibly inspected, whether it is a brick, concrete
block, stone and concrete, metal, etc. However for
the purpose of this section, the brick and concrete
block chimney will be discussed in more detail.
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect exposed areas of the
chimney for: CHIMNEY CONDITION - Our home inspector
will first evaluate the overall condition of the brick
and mortar. Many times a chimney needs repair and
pointing. In other words, repair means replace any
damaged bricks and, pointing means, dig out the old
deteriorated mortar and fill with new mortar as much
as possible. The chimney will also be inspected for
serious cracks, foundation settlement or leaning of
the chimney. Our home inspector will also look to see
if the chimney is pulling away from the house.
Sometimes as a quick repair for a chimney that is
pulling away from the house, a brace will be put
around the chimney. The chimney will be pulled back
to the side of the house and secured to the house by
long bolts to the inside wall. If our home inspector
finds a braced chimney, he will address the issue as
an improper repair.
G. WARREN HOME INSPECTION INCLUDES:
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Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect settlement of : - THE
CHIMNEY FOUNDATION - A masonry chimney usually
has it’s own foundation, the chimney
doesn’t sit on the house foundation. One of the
major repair problems with a chimney is when the
foundation is settling away from the house and pulling
the chimney away from the house. In a case like
this, the foundation problem should be corrected and
the chimney put back up against the house. A
common quick fix is to brace and bolt the chimney back
to the house, as mentioned earlier. This is not a
proper repair, for two reasons:
(1) If it is a very large
chimney, as the foundation keeps settling away from the
house, it may start to pull the house out of square.
(2) With a small or medium size chimney, as the chimney
foundation keeps settling away from the house, and with
the chimney braced to the house, the chimney could be
severely cracked at the base.
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect for: -A CHIMNEY THAT IS
LEANING - A chimney that extends way above the roof line
and is leaning is a potential safety hazard. The
leaning is usually caused because the mortar on one side
has deteriorated more that the other. A chimney that has
a severe lean, most times needs to be completely rebuilt
at the leaning top section.
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect exposed chimney areas
for : - MOISTURE DAMAGE - Efflorescence, a white chalky
substance on the exterior of a brick or block chimney,
is a sure sign of moisture penetration. Usually the
water is getting inside the chimney at the top of the
chimney, because of a deteriorated or damaged concrete
cap. The cap is a concrete finish over the top of the
chimney that tapers from the chimney liner to the edge
of the chimney. This cap keeps water directed to the
edge of the chimney where it can run off without flowing
on or getting into the brick or block.
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect when feasible : - THE
CHIMNEY CRICKET - A cricket is a special diverter that
is installed behind chimneys that are located on the
slope of the roof. A cricket prevents debris, snow and
ice from accumulating behind the chimney, which can
cause roof leaks. Chimneys larger that two feet wide
should have a cricket to avoid any damaging build up of
materials behind the chimney. If our home inspector sees
any damage to the cricket or debris buildup behind the
chimney, he will call for maintenance and or repair.
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect from ground level : -
THE CHIMNEY LINER - With the modern furnaces, all
chimneys should have a chimney liner for fire safety.
Usually the liner is visible at the top of the chimney,
it sticks up far enough to be seen from ground level. If
no liner is visible from the ground level, our inspector
will call for an inspection by a professional chimney
contractor.
FIREPLACES
Our professional home
inspectors will visibly inspect exposed areas when
feasible for: THE FIREPLACE CONDITION AND DAMPER - A
fireplace will be inspected for condition and most
important that the chimney has a damper and that the
damper is in working condition. A missing or
nonfunctional damper can be an expensive repair, most
times it is not an item that can be purchased off the
store shelf. When possible our inspector will test the
damper for operation and report on the functionality of
the damper.
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Counties Served in New Jersey |
Middlesex County,
Union County,
Somerset County,
Essex County,
Hunterdon County,
Hudson County,
Bergen County,
Passaic County,
Mercer County,
Ocean County,
Monmouth County, and
Morris County.
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