Photograph of a damaged unsafe brick chimney in an attic.

Indoor Chimney & Flue Inspection, Diagnosis, Cleaning & Repair Guide
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Detailed Inspection & Photo Guide to inspecting for chimney defects in the building interior
Chimney defects discovered in building attics
Signs of holes and unsound masonry chimneys
Significance of creosote or other stains on chimneys
Questions & answers about chimney inspection procedures for indoors - key steps

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This article describes procedures for inspecting the condition of chimneys and flues from inside of a building. We begin in the building attic (or on the building's highest floor) and continue downwards through the building with text and photographs describing chimney damage or chimney hazards for which the building owner, inspector, or service technician should be alert.

Readers should be sure to also review Chimney Inspection Outdoors From Ground followed by Chimney Inspection Outdoors at Rooftop, and also take a look at Chimney Crack & Collapse Risks, Repairs. Also be sure to read Flue Vent Connectors - Boilers, Furnaces and our Fire Clearances articles (links at page left). This article series also includes articles on Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors and on additional hazards at chimney cleanout doors, fireplaces, and woodstoves (links at page left).

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.

© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website.

Inspecting Chimneys from Inside a Building Attic

Interior basement and attic inspections will reveal corrosion at the cleanout door, connector problems and flashing leaks.

Inspect exterior the chimney while you are inside the building. Attic access to a chimney or basement access, may provide key inspection points since there the chimney is likely to be directly accessible and there may be cleanout or other access ports to check the condition of the chimney interior.

In this photo the exterior of this chimney, visible in an attic, was in very poor condition, with soft spalling bricks.

Worse, there was an immediate fire and gas hazard since there were actual openings at the base of this chimney where it passes through the attic floor framing. This is a serious fire hazard and a flue gas leak hazard. This flue is unsafe.

Inspect the entire route of the chimney through all building areas. Even if the chimney is not directly visible you may find evidence of leaks, movement, or old chimney penetrations, say for a woodstove, that may not have been safely closed.

Holes in Masonry Chimneys - Missing Bricks

Missing chimney bricks: this photo shows a homeowner "repair" involving putting aluminum sheet metal over a hole in their chimney to make it "safe" - removing the metal disclosed a nice hole where bricks were missing. We asked the homeowner where s/he thought those bricks had gone?

This was a very unsafe chimney. The second photo shows the chimney hole with the sheet metal removed. The bricks had fallen down and blocked this flue, creating a potentially fatal carbon monoxide (CO Gas) hazard which was first noticed by the homeowners as a basement water problem - water was condensing and running down basement walls.

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Technical Reviewers & References

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Chimney Inspection Checklist
Chimney Inspection Checklist - Outdoors
Chimney Inspection Checklist - Indoors
Chimney Inspection: Flue Interiors
  Chimney Interior Inspection Methods
  Barometric Damper view of Flue
  Chimney Thimble Requirements
  Chimney Thimble Damage
  Cleanout Door view of Flue
  Masonry Fragments & Debris at the Cleanout
ChimScan: Inspecting Flues by Cameras
Chimney Inspection Indoor Procedures
Chimney Inspection Outdoors From Ground
Chimney Inspection Outdoors at Rooftop

Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education including the ASHI-adopted Home Inspection Training Program (home study course), publications such as the Home Reference Book, report writing materials including the Horizon report writer, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
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

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.
Fireplace & Chimney Design, Repair Books - Fireplaces, Chimneys: design, repair
Fireplace & Chimney Inspection Books - Inspecting and diagnosing chimney problems, fireplace problems, chimney & fireplace standards
Ceramic Roofware, Hans Van Lemmen, Shire Library, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0747805694 - Brick chimneys, chimney-pots and roof and ridge tiles have been a feature of the roofs of a wide range of buildings since the late Middle Ages. In the first instance this ceramic roofware was functional - to make the roof weatherproof and to provide an outlet for smoke - but it could also be very decorative. The practical and ornamental aspects of ceramic roofware can still be seen throughout Britain, particularly on buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Not only do these often have ornate chimneys and roof tiles but they may also feature ornamental sculptures or highly decorative gable ends. This book charts the history of ceramic roofware from the Middle Ages to the present day, highlighting both practical and decorative applications, and giving information about manufacturers and on the styles and techniques of production and decoration. Hans van Lemmen is an established author on the history of tiles and has lectured on the subject in Britain and elsewhere. He is founder member and presently publications editor of the British Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society. Also available at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
Chimney Inspection Checklist, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
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.
Fireplaces, a Practical Design Guide, Jane Gitlin
Fireplaces, Friend or Foe, Robert D. Mayo
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)
Principles of Home Inspection: Chimneys & Wood Heating (Principles of Home Inspection), Carson Dunlop
U.S. vs. Canadian Unlined Masonry Chimney Flue Requirements & Case Study
NFPA 211 - 3-1.10 - Relining guide for chimneys
NFPA 211 - 3-2 - Construction of Masonry Chimneys
NFPA 211 - 3-3 - Termination Height for chimneys
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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Inspecting Chimneys from Inside a Building Attic

Holes in Masonry Chimneys - Missing Bricks

Questions & Answers regarding this article

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Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair