Chimney Inspection in Chula Vista, CA

What happens during a chimney inspection

It starts at the hearth, not the roof. We drop cloths, open the damper, and look up with a light and mirror. Firebox joints get checked for gaps. On factory-built prefabs common in 1980s and 2000s tract construction, we read the label inside the firebox and look for panel cracks, warped baffles, and missing refractory. Then a camera goes up the flue. Clay tile liners in pre-1975 stucco and ranch homes are scanned tile by tile for shear cracks and washed-out mortar joints. Glazed creosote shows as black lacquer, not fluff.

Next comes the roof, when the pitch and tile allow. We photograph the crown, the flashing at the stucco-to-roof intersection, the spark arrestor cap, and the chase cover on framed chases. Rusted chase covers with standing water are a common find here.

Gas inserts and log sets get their own pass. Burner ports, pilot, ember placement, glass gasket, and vent termination.

You get photos of what we found, with location noted. Cracked crowns get flagged. Seized dampers too. So does bird nesting in seldom-used flues.

If the stack is unlined single-wythe masonry, or shows earthquake cracking, we say so and stop guessing.