Just as it would be foolish to buy a house without knowing that the plumbing is in sound condition, it is equally foolish not to know that the chimney and fireplace, or a wood stove installation meet the required standards.

There is one big difference however, between the plumbing and a chimney. A fault with the plumbing can cause flooding in the home, whereas a fault with a fireplace or chimney can cuse a house to catch fire.

There is a misconception about home inspections. People think that a home inspection covers all aspects of a fireplace and chimney. That is not generally the case.

A basic chimney inspection will first of all describe the kind of fireplace and chimney that is being inspected. Most people don't really know what kind of fireplace they have. It could be an open masonry fireplace or the fireplace may incorporate a heat exchange unit, often referred to as a Heatolator.

On the other hand, a house might have a factory manufactured fireplace also known as a Zero Clearance fireplace. Or may be a fireplace has a wood stove insert installed in it.

It's important to know just what exists in order that it can be used correctly and also maintained correctly.

A basic level 1 inspection can determine if the visible parts of a structure or installation are void of faults such as cracks. The inspection will often notice tell tale signs of smoking problems. Such an inspection will also be able to point out if there is insufficient clearance to combustibles.

Many freestanding wood stoves are installed with the connector pipes having been put in upside down. Or they are installed without a slip joint in the flue, which means that at some point in that installation there is probably a more serious fault. Very often the pipe joints do not have the required 3 screws at each joint.

I could go on and on about possible findings. You see, I actually did 900 inspections for Real Estate Escrows in my last 12 months in California. I did 10,000 inspections in the last 15 years. It taught me a lot.

My purpose here is to awaken folks to the fact that home buyers in Kentucky are overlooking a major safety point when buying homes.

Chimney professionals are pretty rare in this part of the country. Louisville has about 3 CSIA Certified Sweeps. Lexington has about 6. Hardin County did not have 1 Certified Sweep until I moved here in May of 2006.

If one is going to pay for a chimney inspection, one should at least make sure that the inspector is CSIA Certified because it is the only way to know that the inspector will have passed a basic test of his knowledge about the subject.

You can find out all about CSIA Certification by going on the Internet to http://www.csia.org.

There are two points that I feel are important to make here so that you know where I am coming from.

1./ A chimney inspection is carried out for the purpose of full disclosure. Whether or not repairs are made is a matter of negotiation between the buyer and seller. But full disclosure is of utmost importance.

2./ The person doing the chimney inspection should never expect to do any work that arises out of the findings. It is extemely important that there be not the slightest suggestion of conflict of interest.

If this article has raised questions that you need answers to, call me at 270.505.0749

Hans Marsen