Chimney Inspection Checklist - Most Frequently Found Chimney Defects
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Checklist of most common residential chimney defects
What chimney problems show up most often?
Questions & answers about chimney inspection procedures
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This article provides a checklist of the most common chimney defects found during a home inspection. We include links to two additional detailed chimney inspection checklists for outdoors and indoors.
These articles on chimneys and chimney safety provide detailed suggestions describing how to perform a thorough visual inspection of chimneys for safety and other defects. Chimney inspection methods and chimney repair methods are also discussed.
For additional chimney inspection detailed checklists, see Chimney Inspection Checklist - Outdoors and Chimney Inspection Checklist - Indoors.
This chimney inspection checklist is a companion to our detailed photo guide to chimney inspections found at CHIMNEY INSPECTION GUIDE. No checklist is ever a complete guide to building inspection or diagnosis since no checklist can contain every possible hazard or every clue that suggests a problem.
Therefore do not rely on this or any checklist to assure that your inspection of a chimney is complete. Instead, use this list to suggest additional topics that you otherwise may have omitted from your inspection. The more detailed chimney inspection and repair articles at the links at page-left and below suggest further, more-detailed chimney inspection points and procedures. Contact Us by email to suggest changes, corrections, or additions to this material.
Most Frequent Chimney Defects
Chimney cap and crown defects: missing chimney cap, damaged chimney crown or top seal, leaks into the chimney leading to rust damage on metal flues or frost and water damage to masonry flues, leading to an unsafe chimney.
Chimney thimble ports abandoned or hidden, covered-over by drywall, wallpaper, or a simple metal "pie-plate" enclosure - a fire and flue gas leakage hazard.
Creosote or heavy soot in chimneys: a possible chimney fire hazard, especially at wood-burning fireplaces or woodstove flues
Damaged, blocked, or unsafe chimney flues: a damaged chimney flue risks leaking dangerous combustion gases into the building or risks sparks which could start a building fire. Movement and cracks in a masonry chimney, rusted metal flues, unlined single-brick wythe flues, water leaks through chimneys, frost damaged chimney clay flue tiles, missing or open chimney cleanouts, dead-end flues, are examples.
Look for conditions likely to rust a metal flue; look for conditions likely to cause cracking, breaking, or spalling of clay flue liners. Look for improperly constructed clay-tile lined masonry chimneys leaving concrete between joints that prevents thorough chimney clearing, or causing leaks and frost damage to the chimney flue or chimney structure.
Dead end flues - a chimney that is entered by a flue vent from a heating appliance, woodstove, or similar device right into the very bottom of the chimney flue. Common in older homes, such flues are easily blocked by falling debris - an unsafe condition.
Fireplace inserts for wood or coal installed into an existing masonry flue without chimney inspection and if needed, re-lining.
Missing chimney cleanout doors, open cleanout doors: a fire hazard as well as a cause of improper, unsafe heating appliance operation
Movement in chimneys, especially masonry chimneys: a dangerous condition, movement can cause hidden cracks and breaks that make a chimney unsafe, risking flue gas leakage into the interior or causing a building fire.
Orphaned gas-fired water heaters not venting into any chimney, or a gas-fired water heater venting alone into a large masonry flue. The water heater may never develop sufficient heat in the old masonry flue to establish a working draft - flue gases spill backwards into the building, an unsafe condition.
Rusted or damaged chimney or fireplace components: rusted, damaged, inoperative or missing fireplace dampers. Examples include a damper that has rusted through, a metal damper enclosure in the chimney throat rusted through, a metal fireplace insert rusted out at the chimney base.
Unlined chimney flues in single-brick wythe chimneys of older homes - a fire and flue gas leakage hazard
Un-sealed flue-vent connectors at chimney thimbles: metal flues not sealed in the thimble, missing thimble, risking flue gas leaks or sparks; common at woodstove and heating system metal flue connections into a masonry chimney.
Unsafe fire clearances between metal flues or other types of chimneys and nearby combustibles.
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This chimney inspection checklist is a companion to our detailed photo guide to chimney inspections found at CHIMNEY INSPECTION GUIDE. No checklist is ever a complete guide to building inspection or diagnosis since no checklist can contain every possible hazard or every clue that suggests a problem.
Therefore do not rely on this or any checklist to assure that your inspection of a chimney is complete. Instead, use this list to suggest additional topics that you otherwise may have omitted from your inspection. The more detailed chimney inspection and repair articles at the links at page-left and below suggest further, more-detailed chimney inspection points and procedures:
Thanks to Luke Barnes for suggesting that we add text regarding the hazards of shared chimney flues. USMA - Sept. 2008.
Arlene Puentes, an ASHI member and a licensed home inspector in Kingston, NY, and has served on ASHI national committees as well as HVASHI Chapter President. Ms. Puentes can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.com
Roger Hankey is principal of Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com
NFPA 211 - Standards for Chimneys & Fireplaces, NFPA 211: Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances, 2006 Edition (older editions and standards are found at the same bookstore)
NFPA #211-3.1 1988 -
Specific to chimneys, fireplaces, vents and solid fuel burning appliances.
NFPA # 54-7.1 1992 -
Specific to venting of equipment with fan-assisted combustion systems.
GAMA -
Gas Appliance Manufacturers' Association has prepared venting tables for
Category I draft hood equipped central furnaces as well as fan-assisted
combustion system central furnaces.
National Fuel Gas Code, an American National Standard, 4th ed. 1988 (newer edition is available) Secretariats, American Gas Association (AGA), 1515 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA22209, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Batterymarch Park, Quincy MA 02269. ANSI Z223.1-1988 - NFPA 54-1988. WARNING: be sure to check clearances and other safety guidelines in the latest edition of these standards.
Fire Inspector Guidebook, A Correlation of Fire Safety Requirements Contained in the 1987 BOCA National Codes, (newer edition available), Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), Country Club HIlls, IL 60478 312-799-2300 4th ed. Note: this document is reissued every four years. Be sure to obtain the latest edition.
Uniform Mechanical Code - UMC 1991, Sec 913 (a.) Masonry Chimneys,
refers to Chapters 23, 29, and 37 of the Building Code.
New York 1984 Uniform Fire
Prevention and Building Code, Article 10, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Requirements
New York 1979 Uniform Fire Prevention & Building Code, The "requirement" for 8" of solid masonry OR for use of a
flue liner was listed in the One and Two Family Dwelling Code for New
York, in 1979, in Chapter 9, Chimneys and Fireplaces, New York 1979
Building and Fire Prevention Code:
"Top Ten Chimney (and related) Problems Encountered by One Chimney Sweep," Hudson Valley ASHI education seminar, 3 January 2000, contributed by Bob Hansen, ASHI
"Rooftop View Turns to Darkness," Martine Costello, Josh Kovner, New Haven Register, 12 May 1992 p. 11: Catherine Murphy was sunning on a building roof when a chimney collapsed; she fell into and was trapped inside the chimney until rescued by emergency workers.
"Chimneys and Vents," Mark J. Reinmiller, P.E., ASHI Technical Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1991 p. 34-38.
"Chimney Inspection Procedures & Codes," Donald V. Cohen was to be published in the first volume of the 1994 ASHI Technical Journal by D. Friedman, then editor/publisher of that publication. The production of the ASHI Technical Journal and future editions was cancelled by ASHI President Patrick Porzio. Some of the content of Mr. Cohen's original submission has been included in this more complete chimney inspection article: InspectAPedia.com/chimneys/Chimney_Inspection.htm. Copies of earlier editions of the ASHI Technical Journal are available from ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Natural Gas Weekly Update: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government
US Energy Administration: Electrical Energy Costs http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelelectric.html
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Chimney & Stack Inspection Guidelines, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2003 - These guidelines address the inspection of chimneys and stacks. Each guideline assists owners in determining what level of inspection is appropriate to a particular chimney and provides common criteria so that all parties involved have a clear understanding of the scope of the inspection and the end product required. Each chimney or stack is a unique structure, subject to both aggressive operating and natural environments, and degradation over time. Such degradation may be managed via a prudent inspection program followed by maintenance work on any equipment or structure determined to be in need of attention. Sample inspection report specifications, sample field inspection data forms, and an example of a developed plan of a concrete chimney are included in the guidelines. This book provides a valuable guidance tool for chimney and stack inspections and also offers a set of references for these particular inspections.
NFPA 211 - Standards for Chimneys & Fireplaces, NFPA 211: Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances, 2006 Edition (older editions and standards are found at the same bookstore)
NFPA 211 - 3-4 - Clearance from Combustible Material
NFPA 54 - 7-1 - Venting of Equipment into chimneys
Brick Institute of America - Flashing Chimneys
Brick Institute of America - Proper Chimney Crowns
Brick Institute of America - Moisture Resistance of Brick
American Gas Association - New Vent Sizing Tables
Chimney Safety Institute of America - Chimney Fires: Causes, Effects, Evaluation
National Chimney Sweep Guild - Yellow Pages of Suppliers
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