Gaithersburg, MD, Chimney Inspection | Prevent Extensive Chimney Damage & Keep Your Chimney Safe
Gaithersburg, MD, Chimney Inspection | Prevent Extensive Chimney Damage & Keep Your Chimney Safe
A certified chimney inspection at your Gaithersburg home may turn up nothing. But it might spot early signs of chimney damage or damage to various components that could lead to expensive repair bills down the line. The experts at High’s Chimney Service are here to keep your chimney safe and running like it should.
What Is Covered in a Basic Chimney Inspection?
While no inspection is really “basic,” a Level 1 chimney inspection is the least intrusive. It involves a visual inspection of the chimney’s exterior masonry, video inspection of the flue and chimney liner, and a close look at components such as the chimney crown, chimney cap, smoke chamber and roof flashing. When our technicians perform Level 1 inspections in and around the Gaithersburg region, our goal is to spot damaged or vulnerable areas within the system along with excess creosote and drafting obstructions in the flue.
Are There Other Types of Inspections?
The inspection we perform most for our Gaithersburg customers is a Level 1. There are two other types of chimney inspections – Level 2 and Level 3.
Level 2: These inspections are done when the home is being sold, when there has been a chimney fire or other known damage, or when the homeowner wishes to attach a new heating appliance to the chimney.
Level 3: Level 3 chimney inspections are only performed when a previous inspection has uncovered significant damage to the chimney structure. These inspections may involve dismantling sections of the chimney or adjacent home building materials.
What Kind of Problems Can a Gaithersburg Chimney Inspection Uncover?
Many things within a chimney and fireplace system can wear out over time or become damaged or dysfunctional by various events. Here are a few examples.
- Roof flashing can rust or warp, allowing water to run into vulnerable areas of the home.
- Bricks can become loose and fall away. Open areas of masonry are at risk for extensive water damage. A severely compromised chimney can begin to lean to one side and even collapse.
- The chimney liner can crack or split, which opens the interior masonry and home building materials to intense heat, smoke and creosote buildup. Damaged chimney liners lead to many chimney fires each year.
- The cement chimney crown can become cracked, which allows water to get in. Once there, water will freeze and expand, causing even more decay.
- Obstructions in the flue such as the nests of small animals, tree debris and creosote and soot buildup can hamper the drafting of smoke. This could send smoke along with deadly carbon monoxide back into the house.
Have Your Gaithersburg, MD, Chimney Inspected
Chimney services and fire-safety organizations recommend that residential chimneys be inspected once a year. If it’s been longer than that since your last chimney inspection, give us a call today. We’ll get the job done quickly and safely and then describe any repair work your chimney/fireplace system may require. High’s Chimney Service provides complete chimney inspection, chimney repair and chimney cleaning throughout Gaithersburg and other communities in Maryland and Virginia including the DC area, Fulton, MD, Glenwood, MD, Germantown, MD, Hagerstown, MD, Leesburg, VA, Middletown, MD, and North Bethesda, MD. Call us today at (301) 519-3500.
