The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) reports that a new industry standard for chimney and venting inspections has been adopted to help homeowners better understand the level of work required by a certified chimney sweep to adequately examine a system. Until now, the scope of work during an inspection has been at the professional discretion of the certified chimney sweep.

“Providing accurate and complete information to homeowners is one of the primary missions of a certified chimney sweep,” says Mark McSweeney, executive director of the CSIA. “It's their goal to give homeowners piece of mind. This new standard helps define for homeowners the type of inspection their certified chimney sweep needs to complete.”

This new standard now classifies chimney and venting system inspections into three levels -- Level I, Level II or Level III. Each level of inspection has a specific scope of work and specific criteria.

On January 13, 2000, the National Fire Protection Association adopted these levels of inspection into code NFPA 211 (Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel Burning Appliances). NFPA 211 is the standard upon which certified chimney sweeps base their services.

Once the inspection level is determined, the certified chimney sweep explains the scope of work to the homeowner as follows:

Level 1 Inspection
Recommended if you have not changed - and do not plan to change
your heating appliance or system.
Considered appropriate during annual service visit and during
flue cap installation.
Technicians do not need to use tools to open or remove doors, panels, or coverings, in order to examine the chimney exterior and interior.
Technicians may need commonly available tools to examine
portions of the appliance and the chimney connection -
but the evaluation will not disrupt the chimney structure or finish.

Level 2 Inspection
Required when any change is made to your system - for example,
before the flue is relined, or when you replace an appliance with
another of a dissimilar type or efficiency level.
Required upon the sale or transfer of property.
Suggested when an operating malfunction or external event is likely
to have caused damage to the chimney or appliance.
Does not require the removal or destruction of permanently attached
portions of the chimney or building structure.
Includes all services appropriate in a Level I inspection, plus the
examination of accessible portions of the chimney exterior and interior,
including attics crawl spaces and basements.
Can include a visual inspection by video scanning.

Level 3 Inspection
Conducted after a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection indicates a hazard in
concealed portions of the chimney and flue.
Involves the removal, and possibly destruction, of portions of the
chimney or building structure, as necessary.
Requires special tools and access to concealed areas of the
chimney and flue.

A Level 2 Inspection is recommended before any sale or transfer of property. This inspection could save you thoughsands of dollars in repairs usually missed in normal home inspections on fireplaces.

For a free copy of the brochure “Chimney Inspections Explained for the Homeowner” or for a list of CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps, call (800) 536-0118 or visit the CSIA web site. The CSIA is located at 2155 Commercial Drive, Plainfield IN., 46168.