Fireplaces and Chimneys

Damage to fireplaces and chimneys may be evident:

• In the crawl space underneath the floor at the base of the fireplace. Check for cracked bricks or mortar.
• In the firebox, especially in the area around the flue. You need to lie on your back to observe this area. Check for cracked bricks or mortar. Also check the seal between the firebox and the wall of the house. If the seal is broken, you don't want your stud wall acting as a chimney. It could start a fire.
• In the attic between the ceiling and the roof. Check for cracked bricks and mortar, especially right below the roof line.
• At the roof line. If you can shake a masonry chimney from the roof, it is dangerous. Remove.
• On the exterior of the chimney outside the house. Check to see if the chimney is plumb. If it leans, remove it. Also check for cracks.
• Inside the chimney. You need a video camera to observe the inside, but sometimes a drop light lowered into the chimney from the roof can disclose interior cracks and damage.

All of these areas need inspection. The damage is usually concentrated in one of these areas.

If you have not used your fireplace since the earthquake, look for brown or red stripes in the black soot on the interior. Before the earthquake the entire chimney interior was probably lined with soot. Thin lines not covered with soot are evidence of cracking and have probably opened up since the earthquake.

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