Inspection & Assessment of Abandoned Chimneys in Buildings InspectAPedia® -
Where do we find abandoned chimneys in buildings?
What are the risks associated with abandoned chimneys?
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This article describes the discovery, inspection, and significance of abandoned chimneys in buildings. By "abandoned chimney" we do not mean simply a chimney that is not in use. A greater concern are chimneys that have been only partially removed, may not be adequately supported, and risk collapse, fire spread, heat loss, and other building concerns. Our photo (above) shows the abandoned chimney in the attic below the corrugated metal roof in the photo shown in our outdoor chimney inspection section. Happily this chimney was not in use at the time of our inspection. Do you suppose someone might some day try to use this flue without checking it out first?
Inspection & Assessment of Abandoned Chimneys in Buildings
Abandoned chimneys may be discovered in an attic, basement, or even in the middle of a structure, and can be a big surprise. We often wonder what's holding
up all this weight.
Someone may have eliminated a fireplace or an entire chimney on the
lower floors, but neglected to remove the chimney from the attic out through the roof, perhaps
because they didn't want to repair the ensuing hole in the roof left if the chimney were removed.
Point loads from unanticipated weight or even a sudden collapse can be a real hazard
if chimney bricks suddenly come through an upper floor bedroom ceiling.
Our photo (above) shows an unsupported chimney in the top floor of a pre-1900 home. This chimney has it all (bad): the masonry chimney rests on floorboards between floor joists - it does not support its own weight. The chimney is cracked, damaged, and has evidence of a fire. The hole in the floor at the base of the chimney was a passage for a woodstove flue vent connector (with no fire protection or clearance) that connected into the upper opening in the chimney. At Chimney Cleanout Doors and at Flue Vent Connectors - Boilers, Furnaces we show a closeup of the lower cleanout opening - which was blocked by falling debris.
Carson Dunlop's sketch (above right) demonstrates the need to repair the roof and add support where a through-roof chimney is removed above the roof line.
Fire & Gas Hazards of Abandoned Chimney Flue Openings
Look for unsupported or inadequately supported masonry left in the building, sagging floors, or worse, on occasion you may find that the chimney was only "abandoned" above the roof, and that it continues to vent into the building attic. We found just that condition in a chimney trying to vent a gas fired furnace.
Our photo (above left) shows fiberglass stuffed into a round hole in a building surface. Regardless of whether you see this clue in a floor, ceiling, or wall, some investigation for the presence of a chimney behind the opening is an important safety check. Older homes were sometimes constructed with a single flue chimney that served appliances on multiple floors - an unsafe practice that is prohibited by modern building and fire codes.
Carson Dunlop's sketch (above right) shows a common "pie plate" cover over an un-used chimney opening. For safety the opening should be filled in with masonry. Be sure the repair leaves masonry flush with the chimney interior, not just the chimney's exterior side. Otherwise the repair may interfere with draft and it may make cleaning the flue difficult or impossible.
When an upstairs woodstove is removed the hole left in the chimney is best sealed with masonry material, not a metal cover plate, not insulation, not wood or drywall. Closing a chimney opening with those less durable materials leave a fire and flue gas leakage risk in the building.
A List of Abandoned Chimney Hazards on Buildings
Some of the hazards associated with incomplete removal of a masonry or even a metal chimney in a building include:
Fire spread in the building: an un-sound chimney may speed the spread of a building fire between floors
Air quality and air safety: an un-used chimney may increase the flow of toxic gases from a problem area upwards into other building rooms, such as a smoke, soot, or potentially fatal carbon monoxide generated by heating appliance that is malfunctioning in a lower building area. Drafts can also move moisture and toxic mold spores or allergens and other problematic particles in a building.
Bracket chimneys: old incomplete and possibly inadequately supported masonry chimneys in buildings - see Bracket Chimney Collapse & Fire Risks for details.
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
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Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Luke Barnes for suggesting that we add text regarding the hazards of shared chimney flues. USMA - Sept. 2008.
Arlene Puentes, an ASHI member and a licensed home inspector in Kingston, NY, and has served on ASHI national committees as well as HVASHI Chapter President. Ms. Puentes can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.com
Roger Hankey is principal of Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com
Chimney Building Codes and Chimney, Flue, and Appliance Venting Standards
NFPA #211-3.1 1988 -
Specific to chimneys, fireplaces, vents and solid fuel burning appliances.
NFPA # 54-7.1 1992 -
Specific to venting of equipment with fan-assisted combustion systems.
GAMA -
Gas Appliance Manufacturers' Association has prepared venting tables for
Category I draft hood equipped central furnaces as well as fan-assisted
combustion system central furnaces.
National Fuel Gas Code, an American National Standard, 4th ed. 1988 (newer edition is available) Secretariats, American Gas Association (AGA), 1515 Wilson Blvd., Arlington VA22209, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), Batterymarch Park, Quincy MA 02269. ANSI Z223.1-1988 - NFPA 54-1988. WARNING: be sure to check clearances and other safety guidelines in the latest edition of these standards.
Fire Inspector Guidebook, A Correlation of Fire Safety Requirements Contained in the 1987 BOCA National Codes, (newer edition available), Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA), Country Club HIlls, IL 60478 312-799-2300 4th ed. Note: this document is reissued every four years. Be sure to obtain the latest edition.
Uniform Mechanical Code - UMC 1991, Sec 913 (a.) Masonry Chimneys,
refers to Chapters 23, 29, and 37 of the Building Code.
New York 1984 Uniform Fire
Prevention and Building Code, Article 10, Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Requirements
New York 1979 Uniform Fire Prevention & Building Code, The "requirement" for 8" of solid masonry OR for use of a
flue liner was listed in the One and Two Family Dwelling Code for New
York, in 1979, in Chapter 9, Chimneys and Fireplaces, New York 1979
Building and Fire Prevention Code:
"Top Ten Chimney (and related) Problems Encountered by One Chimney Sweep," Hudson Valley ASHI education seminar, 3 January 2000, contributed by Bob Hansen, ASHI
"Rooftop View Turns to Darkness," Martine Costello, Josh Kovner, New Haven Register, 12 May 1992 p. 11: Catherine Murphy was sunning on a building roof when a chimney collapsed; she fell into and was trapped inside the chimney until rescued by emergency workers.
"Chimneys and Vents," Mark J. Reinmiller, P.E., ASHI Technical Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1991 p. 34-38.
"Chimney Inspection Procedures & Codes," Donald V. Cohen was to be published in the first volume of the 1994 ASHI Technical Journal by D. Friedman, then editor/publisher of that publication. The production of the ASHI Technical Journal and future editions was cancelled by ASHI President Patrick Porzio. Some of the content of Mr. Cohen's original submission has been included in this more complete chimney inspection article: InspectAPedia.com/chimneys/Chimney_Inspection.htm. Copies of earlier editions of the ASHI Technical Journal are available from ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Natural Gas Weekly Update: http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngw/ngupdate.asp Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government
US Energy Administration: Electrical Energy Costs http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelelectric.html
Books & Articles on Chimney Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Ceramic Roofware, Hans Van Lemmen, Shire Library, 2008, ISBN-13: 978-0747805694 - Brick chimneys, chimney-pots and roof and ridge tiles have been a feature of the roofs of a wide range of buildings since the late Middle Ages. In the first instance this ceramic roofware was functional - to make the roof weatherproof and to provide an outlet for smoke - but it could also be very decorative.
The practical and ornamental aspects of ceramic roofware can still be seen throughout Britain, particularly on buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. Not only do these often have ornate chimneys and roof tiles but they may also feature ornamental sculptures or highly decorative gable ends. This book charts the history of ceramic roofware from the Middle Ages to the present day, highlighting both practical and decorative applications, and giving information about manufacturers and on the styles and techniques of production and decoration.
Hans van Lemmen is an established author on the history of tiles and has lectured on the subject in Britain and elsewhere. He is founder member and presently publications editor of the British Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society. Available at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
Chimney & Stack Inspection Guidelines, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2003 - These guidelines address the inspection of chimneys and stacks. Each guideline assists owners in determining what level of inspection is appropriate to a particular chimney and provides common criteria so that all parties involved have a clear understanding of the scope of the inspection and the end product required. Each chimney or stack is a unique structure, subject to both aggressive operating and natural environments, and degradation over time. Such degradation may be managed via a prudent inspection program followed by maintenance work on any equipment or structure determined to be in need of attention. Sample inspection report specifications, sample field inspection data forms, and an example of a developed plan of a concrete chimney are included in the guidelines. This book provides a valuable guidance tool for chimney and stack inspections and also offers a set of references for these particular inspections.
More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs
NFPA 211 - 3-1.10 - Relining guide for chimneys
NFPA 211 - 3-2 - Construction of Masonry Chimneys
NFPA 211 - 3-3 - Termination Height for chimneys
NFPA 211 - 3-4 - Clearance from Combustible Material
NFPA 54 - 7-1 - Venting of Equipment into chimneys
Brick Institute of America - Flashing Chimneys
Brick Institute of America - Proper Chimney Crowns
Brick Institute of America - Moisture Resistance of Brick
American Gas Association - New Vent Sizing Tables
Chimney Safety Institute of America - Chimney Fires: Causes, Effects, Evaluation
National Chimney Sweep Guild - Yellow Pages of Suppliers
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The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.
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