Examining your chimney

There is a checklist a person should go through to make sure their chimney is in proper working shape before burning season starts. Examining the chimney, regardless of whether it is a factory made or mason made chimney, is the first order of business. Any bent metal, missing bricks, loose mortar, missing screws or other signs of damage bear further investigation.

Inside the house one must look for stains around the chimney. Stains inside a home around the chimney may be a sign that there is a structural problem with the chimney or a roof problem around where the chimney and the roof meet. Regardless of what kind of chimney a person has, problems or structure can arise where damage the home can happen. Any problems inside the chimney may also be the result of a problem with that chimney's flue and not the structure of the chimney itself. It's also good to inspect for sooty areas. This indicates that a chimney cleaning is in order, as accumulation of debris or soot in one area means it is most likely happening in other areas as well.

When checking wood stoves it is necessary to check the outside chimney as well as inside piping leading out of the house. Look for stains, weaknesses in the chimney itself, as well as accumulations of soot. It's also necessary to check any gaskets the stove has. Faulty gaskets make for leaky stoves in terms of heat and smoke.