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How to spot Abandoned Chimneys from Outside
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how to spot & assess safety hazards where chimneys have been abandoned and partly removed from buildings
Abandoned chimneys, detection from outside the building:
This article describes visual clues that you can find on the building exterior and that can indicate the current or previous presence of abandoned chimneys and unsafe three-sided chimneys at a building.
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How to spot Abandoned Chimneys on Buildings - What are the Dangers?
Definition of abandoned chimney: any chimney of any material (masonry, metal, transite pipe, other) that is no longer in use (or should not be in use) but has been only partially removed from a building.
Abandoned chimneys in buildings may be unsafe, risking collapse, falling masonry, water and air leaks, fire passage, or worse, sometimes one may even be connected to a stove or fireplace, risking setting the building on fire.
Notice that newer metal corrugated roofing patch at the right end of the metal roof in our photograph?
If outside the building you see roofing details such as shown in our photo, you should be alert for an incompletely removed abandoned chimney indoors.
Check the attic, the intermediate floors, and the basement for the remains of the chimney - it may have left a fire spread risk through the building or other hazards.
See details about how to find abandoned chimneys and what the hazards and repairs are
at ABANDONED CHIMNEYS.
Most-likely found on older homes, a partially-removed abandoned chimney leaves these problems and hazards in the building:
- An improperly abandoned chimney risks collapsing masonry - falling through ceilings below, damaging the structure and injuring building occupants
- An improperly abandoned chimney forms a natural chaseway creating up-drafts in the structure, moving air by natural convection from lower building areas (even a crawl space or basement) up through the structure.
This air movement can contribute to or even be a root cause of indoor air quality problems and mold contamination, and it certainly contributes to un-wanted building heat loss and thus higher heating costs. - An improperly or incompletely-abandoned chimney or flue presents two potential fire dangers:
- The chaseway provided by the partially-abandoned chimney increases the spread of fire through the structure, often between floors
- On occasion we have found that a later building occupant connects a heating appliance to the unsafe "abandoned" chimney, leading to a building fire or potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning
In cities and on larger multi-family buildings we often find old, single-wythe brick chimneys (photo at left) which have been abandoned but which continue to serve as an air and water pathway through the building.
If this Brooklyn, NY chimney were still in use we would be very worried about its safety.
The chimney top is collapsing, risking a dangerously blocked flue, carbon monoxide gas poisoning, as well as risking dropping a brick onto a passerby.
Chimneys of this size are large enough that a person could fall into and become trapped in the structure, as happened to Catherine Murphy.
...
Continue reading at BRACKET CHIMNEY COLLAPSE & FIRE RISKS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
- ABANDONED CHIMNEYS
- ABANDONED FLUE OPENINGS
- BLOCKED CHIMNEY FLUES
- BRACKET CHIMNEYS & GALLOWS BRACKETS
- CHIMNEY CODES
- CHIMNEY COLLAPSE RISKS, REPAIRS
- CHIMNEY CODES & STANDARDS
- CHIMNEY HEIGHT & CLEARANCE CODE
- CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR - home
- CHIMNEY REPAIR: ABANDON & USE DIRECT VENT
- EARTHQUAKE DAMAGED CHIMNEYS
- FIREPLACE HEARTH DIMENSIONS & SUPPORT
- FIREPLACE INSPECTIONS
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ABANDONED CHIMNEYS, OUTDOORS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to CHIMNEYS & FLUES
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- Thanks to Luke Barnes for suggesting that we add text regarding the hazards of shared chimney flues. USMA - Sept. 2008.
- Arlene Puentes [Website: www.octoberhome.com ] , 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
- Chimney Building Codes and Chimney, Flue, and Appliance Venting Standards
- 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
- Chimney Inspection Checklist, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
- "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: CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR . 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
- 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.
- 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. - 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, in (Principles of Home Inspection), Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, Ontario
- 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
- In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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