Chimney’s exhaust a number of substances from your home including smoke, soot, water vapor, and creosote. As smoke rises from your chimney, soot and creosote condense on the interior walls causing a build up. If the chimney is not cleaned, the creosote can ignite, causing a dangerous chimney fire of up to 2000 degrees. These fires can damage the chimney and set surrounding combustibles of your home aflame.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends having your chimney and fireplace inspected yearly and cleaned if needed. Our trained sweeps will put a drop cloth on the floor, and a vacuum will be turned on and running inside the firebox. The soot and creosote deposits are scraped off the walls of the flue and the smoke chamber with brushes attached to flexible poles. The damper, smoke shelf and hearth are cleaned of any debris. Our methods to insure that there is no mess in your home, in fact we guarantee it. The cleaning may take up to an hour, and should be done every one to three years depending on use, or when you move into a new home. A visual inspection of the interior and exterior areas of the chimney, including the crown, flue, and flashing is also performed. If there are problems with your system, they can be noted on our written condition report, provided to you after every cleaning and inspection (if requested).

The inspections of chimneys are an important service offered by Central Indiana Chimney. Chimney inspections come in many forms and you should be aware that not all inspections are alike. At Central Indiana Chimney, we follow the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommended inspection procedures. NFPA divides the inspection procedure into three categories, or levels. The circumstances which give rise to the inspection determine what level of inspection is to be conducted. A level I inspection is the most basic level of inspection while level II and level III inspections are progressively more detailed and comprehensive. A level I inspection is completed during each chimney cleaning, or sweeping.

A level I inspection is the recommended level when an evaluation of the chimney system for continued service is needed and the conditions of use are not changing. This could include:

• Routine or annual evaluations of the venting system.
• An appliance connected to the system is being replace with a similar appliance
• During chimney cleaning or sweeping

A level I inspection is limited to readily accessible portions of the venting system, and accessible portions of the connected appliance(s) and the chimney connection. The inspector will check the readily accessible portions of the chimney, its enclosing structure, and the flue. A level I inspection includes verification that the flue is not blocked or significantly restricted.

A level II inspection is more detailed and thorough than a level I inspection and is the recommended inspection when conditions of use for the appliance or venting system are changing, or when a level I inspection reveals the need for a more detailed inspection. Several instances where a level II inspection is specifically recommended include:

• Replacement of an appliance with one of dissimilar type, input rating or efficiency
• Prior to a flue relining
• Upon sale or transfer of the property
• After an even likely to have caused damage to the chimney, such as a chimney fire or other sudden occurrence event

A level II inspection includes all of the requirements of a level I inspection as well as the following:

• Inspection of accessible areas of attics, basements, and crawlspaces
• Accessible areas of the chimney exterior and interior
• Accessible portions of the appliance and chimney connection
• Video scanning, or other thorough inspection, of the flue interior
• Evaluation of the flue lining to determine that its material and sizing is appropriate for the appliances being served
• Proper clearance to combustibles in the accessible areas listed above
• Proper construction and condition of the chimney system in the accessible areas listed above.

While the level II inspection is a rather thorough inspection and requires access to many areas of the building, it does not require removal of permanent parts of the building, such as siding, chase covers or wall coverings.

A level III inspection is the most detailed of all the inspection types and includes inspection of the concealed areas of the building. However, examination of concealed areas will be limited to areas reasonably suspected of containing hazards that cannot be evaluated otherwise.

A level III inspection includes all areas covered in a level I and level II inspection, and inspection of concealed areas to investigate known or suspected problems. In as much as certain portions of a level III inspection require destructive action to the building, the inspector will discuss these areas with the building owner prior to the inspection.

A video scan is where we use a camera system which is lowered into the chimney (or pushed up from the bottom). The camera allows us to inspect the chimney from a range of just a few inches instead of just looking from the top or bottom. The camera image is viewed on a TV monitor by the inspector. Video inspections may be recommended if the customer or sweep suspect certain problems. Video inspections are often recommended after a chimney fire or some other form of damage to a chimney, and are a routine part of a Level II or Level III inspection.

You should be aware that even the most thorough inspection will not reveal all problems. Some areas of a chimney simply are not assessable due to construction of the house. Be sure to discuss any specific concerns with your sweep. The recommended inspection technique will often be based on your comments and concerns. This works similar to a visit to your doctor. Your doctor probably doesn’t do an EKG and take a full set of X-rays during every visit. However, if you tell the doctor you have chest pains he will perform the tests related to that problem.

NFPA recommends that all chimneys, fireplaces and vents be inspected annually. In addition to this requirement, there are other times when chimney and venting systems should be inspected, such as:

• After any unusual, or sudden occurrence event, such as a chimney fire, lightning strike, or earthquake
• Prior to purchasing a home with an existing chimney
• Whenever changes are made to a chimney or vent system, including replacement of connected appliances
• Prior to major system repairs

Summary — You should be aware that even the most thorough inspection will not reveal all problems. Some areas of a chimney imply are not assessable due to construction of the house. Be sure to discuss any specific concerns with your sweep. The recommended inspection technique will often be based on your comments and concerns. This works similar to a visit to your doctor. Your doctor probably doesn’t do an EKG and take a full set of X-rays during every visit. However, if you tell the doctor you have chest pains he will perform the tests related to that problem.

Damp lint collects inside clothes dryer vents, causing extended drying time and extra wear and tear to your appliance. Birds also find these warm, cozy vents and nest, blocking the entire flow of exhausting air. In worse cases, the dryer motor or heating element can overheat and cause a fire. Keeping these vents clean and lint free will improve the performance of your dryer.

Chimney caps protect your home and family by preventing birds and animals from entering the chimney. Their droppings accumulate on the smoke shelf, causing a bad smell and a breeding ground for mites. Grass, paper, sticks, and trash are also imported by these critters for nesting and may block the chimney from venting properly. Apart from animals, rain does a great deal of damage to interior chimney and firebox construction. Rain is also the cause for that “wet campfire” smell and a rusty damper. Chimney caps are also designed to prevent rain and the metal screen is important to contain sparks and cinders from igniting your roof or other surroundings.

Leaky or damaged chase tops and those made of masonry, are potential hazards on prefabricated metal fireplaces. We help eliminate problems before they start by replacing masonry and rusty metal chase tops, with a brand new custom chase cover to fit your chimney.

Chimneys are constantly exposed to outdoor weather elements, including extreme temperatures, wind, rain, and lightning. Bricks, mortar, and crowns quickly show signs of deterioration such as cracking, shifting, and leaking water. Chimneys must be repaired periodically to avoid the cost of more expensive major repairs after years of neglect. We specialize in tuck pointing and masonry repairs. Our professional, high quality repairs long outlast solutions used by others.

The most common problem with masonry chimneys is water penetration. Water causes over 1 billion dollars in damage annually in the form of staining, loss of insulation value, and freeze-thaw damage, deterioration and ultimately structural failure. All masonry chimneys are susceptible to water damage. Even if repaired, chimneys will continue to deteriorate if they are not protected. Central Indiana Chimney is proud to use Chimneysaver Water Repellent to protect our customers’ chimneys. Chimneysaver Water Repellent prevents water fomr getting into the brick to cause damage. Instead of forming a seal over the brick, it coats the pores of the brick allowing moisture on the inside to escape. Chimneysaver Water Repellent creates a zone that repels water much like two magnets repel each other. One application lasts for up to 10 years.

A chimney without a damper is costing you money-as much as 30% of your heat and air conditioning can go up the chimney. We can provide a dampers that fits into a flue cap. This stainless steel damper easily opens and closes with a spring loaded pull chain mounted on the firebox wall. We also install blade dampers in the throat of the chimney.

This gas fueled rigid pipe supplying heat to your wood can really make getting your fire started easy. We install and /or replace ones that have worn out.

We can provide complete custom installation of gas logs, see our products page for some examples or call for an appointment.

We can spruce up your gas logs with a cleaning and new sand and embers kit.

All purpose firebacks can protect the firebox bricks from excessive wear and tear caused by heat and provide 20% to 40% more heat in the room where you can enjoy it.

For those fireplaces and chimneys that just will not draw properly on their own, we recommend the Exhausto chimney fan. Quiet, maintenance free, and energy efficient- the perfect solution.

Available options are removing and rebuilding damaged portions to complete removal and replacement- masonry or prefabricated.

We can help prevent deadly carbon monoxide from penetrating through your unlined or deteriorating chimney.

Before we explain what a chimney relining system is, lets learn what a chimney lining system is. Most masonry chimneys are constructed with an inner liner of clay tiles. The purpose of this liner is to keep the heat of the flue gases inside the chimney so the chimney cant overheat the nearby combustible material, such as the framing and walls of your house, and possible cause a fire. The liner also keeps carbon monoxide, moisture, smoke, creosote, and other products of combustion from seeping through the bricks and mortar of your chimney and leaking into your home. As you can see, a secure lining system is crucial to the safety and well being of your home and family.

This brings us to a chimney relining system. What is it? Simple. Its what you need when the original clay tile liner was either never installed, or when the tile lining cracks, crumbles and deteriorates over time. Water damage, chimney fires, or just age can cause the deterioration of your clay liner. When that happens the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) code 211 says it must be replaced. The most popular, effective and economical way to reline your chimney is with UL listed, stainless steel relining pipe.

Problems such as a blocked flue, improper construction, and poor drafting are often to blame for the bad performance of your chimney. Smoke entering your home may result from any of these conditions. We diagnose these problems and offer solutions to help your system perform properly.

If squirrels, raccoons, birds or other pets have made a home in your chimney or dryer vent duct, we’ll eliminate the problem, removing the animals and their nesting materials and prevent future infestation.